Oh let's go back to the start
by elle-mae-xx
Summary: CO-WRITTEN WITH FAEMELODY When Eddie and Philip discover Melissa's lies, Phillip takes it upon himself to sort out the mess that Eddie and Rachel had gotten themselves into. With the help of the entire year and another visit to the bowling alley, will they finally be back on track and right all their wrongs?


Phillip stood with his ear to the door, trying not to make a sound as he listened to his mother argue with Eddie. Things were getting heated, and he knew it wasn't long before he would need to make his presence known to diffuse the situation. However, he was in the same room as his baby brother so would be of better use to him if he was to wake from his nap.

"Eddie, please calm down." Melissa begged, holding a hand to her head to try and rid herself of the migraine that was forming. She was running on empty, with Jacob being only a week old and only sleeping for two hours at a time. It didn't help that Eddie wasn't spending the night, but had come over to take Jacob for a few days to give her a chance to sleep.

"Calm down? Melissa, he isn't my son!" Phillip held in a gasp as he heard Eddie's words, and looked over at the sleeping baby once more. He knew they all panicked when Mellisa had gone into labour almost two months early, only to be told the baby was perfectly healthy and full term. Clearly Eddie had his own suspicions too, and the results had finally been revealed.

"You can still be his dad! Blood isn't everything you know?" Melissa tried to reason, terrified to be left on her own with a baby that hated sleep. She needed the extra hand, another person to fight the battle with.

"But Rachel. I lost her because of this, it could of saved all of the heartbreak!" Eddie fumed, his brain clouded with images of the only woman he had ever truly loved. Since the fateful day outside the school, their contact had stopped completely. Rachel found it too difficult to even think about him and had handed his items to Phillip to pass over, holding back the tears as she handed the box to her nephew.

"Is that all you care about? My sister?" Melissa rolled her eyes, crossing her arms defensively as she looked back to the piece of paper Eddie had handed to her. It was there in black and white, there was 0% chance that Jacob was Eddie's son, which she had always known of course. She realised early in her relationship with Eddie that she was expecting, making her at least 7 months pregnant by the time she made her reappearance.

"She's all I've ever cared about Melissa. Her and the son that was never even mine!" Eddie twisted his hands together in frustration, trying to fight tears as he thought of the baby upstairs. Since Melissa's pregnancy announcement, he had kept contact purely about their son. He had never been invited to any scans, but figured that was just Melissa being petty as she had not received the welcome back she so wished for. When she had gone into labour early, he was beside himself with worry that he was about to lose another child. But when presented with a full term baby instead of one born two months early, he knew something was wrong.

"Eddie, please…"

"How could you do this?" he demanded, rounding on her. "Forget me- how could you do it to your own sister? She would do anything for you Melissa, she even stepped aside to let me… why didn't you say anything? You must have known, you could have stopped from hurting her!"

"I needed you! She's fine, she's always fine! But I needed you," she pleaded. "I still do, I can't do this by myself!"

But Eddie was shaking his head. "The irony is, Mel, if you had told the truth and just asked for help, I'd have given it to you. So would Rachel. But now…"

"Eddie please! Please I can't do this, look after a newborn and Phillip too… please it can work, we can work if you just try!" she came towards him, hands outstretched but he batted her away.

"No, we couldn't! Don't you get it?" he looked at her incredulously. "You went too far this time. I loved him, Mel. He was going to be the one good thing that came out of his mess."

"He still could be!"

"No." he shook his head. "Because now… now all I see when I look at him is everything that I've lost. That you cost me. Good luck, Melissa, because Christ knows that poor baby is going to need it."

He stalked out, catching a hold of his jacket from the bannisters and throwing it over his arm. As he did so, however, movement at the top of the stairs caught his eye, and he sighed when he realised Phillip had overheard the entire conversation. "Sorry, mate," he apologised softly. But the boy shook his head.

"You're not the one who should be sorry."

Eddie looked up at him for a moment. "You can call me, if you need to," he offered. "Or if you need a quiet place to study or just hang out in… that's not going to change."

He nodded. "Thanks Eddie. And… I'm sorry. For what she did."

"Not your fault either, mate," he pointed out.

He stalked out of the door, careful not the let it slam as he knew the baby was still asleep upstairs. How he had managed to sleep through the raised voices, he didn't know but he was grateful not to have the distraction. Eddie climbed into his car and looked to the back seat where Jacob's car seat should have been, and finally let his tears fall as he rested his head against the steering wheel. Not usually a crier, he wept for the loss of another child as well as for Rachel. He longed to call her and explain the situation, to fall into her arms and apologise for all their lost months due to this mess. Jacob had been his shining light in the previous months, his only thing to look forward to which had now been taken away from him. He wished he had it in him to continue to raise Jacob, but knew he would not be able to live with the guilt of raising another mans child.

As Eddie started the car and drove off to shut himself away in his flat, Phillip finally moved himself away from the window where he had been watching Eddie and had shed his own tears at witnessing the breakdown of the man that had grown to be a father figure in the recent months. Jacob finally let out a whimper and Phillip went to comfort him but accidentally walked into his mother at the top of the stairs.

"Hello love, I'll just get him now." Melissa stalked past Phil, barely giving him a look as she stalked into the nursery.

"I can't believe you, you know. You've done some stupid things mum, but wow. Eddie, Rachel, even my poor brother. I'm going out." Phillip could barely look at his mum, and she didn't really seem to care. She simply shrugged and continued her path to deal with her crying son, not paying much attention to the one currently stood in front of her. His first thought was to go to see his Aunt, but he knew it wasn't down to him to tell her what had happened yet. Instead, he decided to go to the next person he felt the safest with, and that was Eddie. He had no idea if Eddie would want to see him, but he needed to try as he knew he couldn't spend the night under the same roof as his mum.

The walk didn't take too long, and Phillip made sure to walk slightly quicker as night had fallen and he didn't want to be out alone in the dark. He stopped just outside of Eddie's flat, suddenly nervous about turning up unannounced. However, he pressed the buzzer and waited for a reply before he could second guess himself any further. It took a few minutes to Eddie to get to the door, and Phillip announced himself before being allowed inside. Eddie waited at his door for him, and threw an arm around his shoulder as soon as he came into sight.

"Can I stay here please Eddie?" Phillip asked timidly, and in that moment Eddie realised just how young Phillip still was. Despite starting year 12, he was still a child and Melissa would do well to remember that from time to time.

"'Course you can, mate."

Phillip followed him inside, into the living room where he paused in the doorway as he spotted the bottles of beer on the table, two empty, another almost so. Eddie followed his gaze, and shrugged sheepishly. "I'll throw the rest away…"

"I don't mind," Phillip said hastily. He could understand. He sat down, chewing his lip and resisting the urge to wring his hands together. "What happens now?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. Eddie shrugged, swallowing a mouthful of beer.

"Nothing much," he answered, not having to question what the boy meant. "You'll go to school, I'll go to work, Melissa gets away with it. The world keeps turning."

He sounded bitter as he swigged from the bottle again. "What if mum really can't cope with Jacob?" Phillip worried.

"Phil, in the nicest way possible- I really don't care."

He didn't entirely mean that, Phillip knew. But he dropped the subject, unwilling to cause the man further upset. "Have you eaten?" he questioned softly. Eddie shook his head.

"Grab a menu and I'll spring for a pizza or something," he offered. The boy nodded, disappearing into the kitchen to find one while Eddie finished off his beer. He looked at the empty bottle for a second, longing to go and fetch something stronger, something that would mute everything around him completely… but Phillip was here. And he wouldn't do that to him.

So instead, he ordered a pizza for them both and flicked the telly on, switched to a coke when the pizza arrived and pretended not to notice the slight look of relief on Phillip's face when he did so.

"Eddie, what about Rachel?" Phillip had seen the state of his Aunt in the previous weeks and knew what this news would do to lift her spirits, she had barely been able to face Phil due to all the memories he brought back for her. At his question, Eddie physically paled. He had thought of nothing else but Rachel since receiving the letter, but he knew what he needed to do.

"I've bought Rachel nothing but hurt Phil, I can't bring her into this. She'll be moving on, she doesn't need me." He admitting sadly, his heart breaking with each word spoken. Nothing hurt him more than thinking of Rachel with someone else, but he didn't want to prevent her happiness in any way.

However, Phillip knew the truth. He knew how broken that Rachel had been, she was a shell of herself and her smile hadn't reached her eyes since that fateful day outside the school.

"You know that's not true Eddie, she was the happiest I've ever seen her when with you! Don't give up on her, don't let my mum win." Phillip pleaded, wanting something good to come out of this horrendous situation. He already knew his mum was a lost cause, and he couldn't help but worry where this left him. With Eddie not around for the baby, would that be the last Phillip ever saw of him? Would Rachel continue to avoid his presence due to still being so heartbroken?

"I can't do it anymore Phil, it kills me thinking of how much pain I've brought her." Eddie doubted that Rachel would even give him the chance to talk to her, never mind explain his recent findings. Phillip knew it was pointless arguing with Eddie tonight, instead choosing to concentrate on the film in front of them and begin to hatch his own plan to right some wrongs and bring the two back together.

When Monday morning came around, he detoured past the main doors and instead plopped himself on a wall near the carpark. He watched as various teachers arrived- Miss Campbell called out a good morning to him, while Mr Mead seemed barely awake but then finally, he spotted the silver car of his aunt drive in.

He watched, carefully as she pulled into the space but then didn't move for a long moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she climbed out of the car, bringing her bags with her. She locked the car, shouldered her bag and turned to walk into the building. And the whole time, her face remained bland and with a vaguely defeated expression… right up until Janeece bounced past and called out a greeting to her. Then, Phillip watched as she straightened up and pasted on a smile for the girl, exchanging a few words that he was too far away to hear. When the girl dashed off into the building, she allowed the expression to fall once again, apparently not realising anyone was watching.

Phillip narrowed his eyes slightly, now determined to make Eddie see sense. He briefly entertained the possibility of simply telling Rachel everything, but that had the very large possibility of backfiring if she assumed that Eddie merely didn't want to come back for her. He drummed his fingers against his leg, anxiously trying to come up with a plan.

Maybe he could invite them both somewhere without telling the other? Though knowing his aunt, she'd just walk out as soon as she saw Eddie. He sighed, and overhead the bell rang, snapping him out of his scheming. He shouldered his bag and began to walk towards registration.

"It's like she never smiles anymore!" a year ten was saying to her friend in front of him. "And i'm like- get over him! He wasn't worth it anyways!"

Phillip tilted his head. What would happen if he just told Eddie how unhappy Rachel was? Would he believe him?

Doubtful, he thought gloomily. He'd just made excuses up last time, there was nothing to stop him from doing it again. Why were adults so complicated?

Rachel finally sat behind her desk, throwing her head into her hands almost immediately. It was only a few weeks into the new term but it had felt like a lifetime, like it had been years since she bid a final farewell to the love of her life. Nothing had been the same since, and she genuinely wondered if she'd ever feel happy again. She opened her drawers to find a pen, needing a distraction and deciding to bore her mind with the paperwork she had let build up in the past few days. While rooting through her drawers that were in desperate need of a clean, she came across something that brought tears to her eyes before she had even pulled it out. She held the paper between her fingers and built up the courage to look at it, tracing his handwriting with her eyes. The note he had left with her watch, with promises of much more than a holiday written between the lines. A lone tear trickled down her cheek, and she let out a sigh as she held the note to her chest with hopes it would bring her closer to Eddie once more.

"Rach, give him a call." Kim leant in the doorway, watching her friend crumble before her eyes as she held a piece of paper to her chest. She didn't know what was on the paper, but it couldn't be good if it had reduced her boss to tears. Rachel's head shot up at Kim's words and she furiously wiped at her eyes to rid herself of any stray tears she had let slip.

"I can't. You know why Kim, I'm just hoping this gets easier because I'm struggling." She finally admitted, needing the shoulder to cry on after keeping her feelings inside for too long.

"I'm here for you. Let's go out after work, or I'll come to you. You're not alone in this, you know?" Rachel nodded to the proposal, and Kim turned to leave her boss to gather herself before the hustle of the day began. "Phil is here, I'll send him in." Again, Rachel only nodded. She wasn't really ready to face her nephew, no matter how much she loved him. He reminded her too much of happier times, and how much she longed for what she once had.

And she had a terrible feeling that he knew it, since he hadn't sought her out before now. She attempted a smile as he came in, looking nervous. "Hi Phil. No lessons?"

He shook his head. "I have a free first period."

He didn't say anything more, and her stomach sank. Was there a problem? She stood, coming around to sit on the sofas and gesturing for him to do the same. "How are you finding sixth form?"

He shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. There's a lot of work."

"You seem to be doing well though. Your teachers are giving good feedback." She watched him carefully. Her comments brought a faint smile to his face, but it was quickly wiped away as he shifted anxiously, fingers tapping against his knee. "What's wrong?" she asked gently. He practically squirmed where he sat, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "Phillip?"

"I know you're unhappy!" he blurted out. He didn't dare look up to see her reaction.

"Unhappy? Phillip, I'm okay." She tried to laugh- it came out weak and she could only hope he hadn't noticed.

"But I know you're not, Rach." He raised his head to meet her gaze, looking miserable himself. "I see it. You haven't been happy since Eddie-"

"Don't." she cut him off. He looked startled, and she made a conscious effort to soften her tone. "I'm fine, Phil, I promise."

He shook his head. "Rachel, my mum-,"

"Phil, I really can't talk about her." Rachel looked down, swallowing the lump in her throat. Phillip was silent for a long moment.

"I feel bad. For what she did…"

"Oh, Phil, it wasn't your fault, love. None of what she's done is." She reached out, placed her hands over his as he shrugged.

"I still feel bad. And I know that you don't really want to be around me-,"

"That's not true," she interrupted again, lying without even thinking about it. He glanced up at her and she could see to doubt on his face. It made her stomach twist uncomfortably, and she shifted positions slightly to bring her fingers up to his chin, forcing him to remain looking at her. "That isn't true," she repeated firmly. "Phil, whatever else is going on, I'm always going to be here for you. I meant what I said when you moved out: you will always have a home with me if you want it. And you can always come to me. I'm never not going to want to see you."

She could practically see the tension ease from his shoulders, and relief filled her- she'd at least managed to avoid scarring the boy for the rest of his life. Goodness knows he had enough to deal with between his father and mother, he didn't need to think that she didn't want him around either. "Thanks Rach," he said softly.

"Now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" she shot him an exasperated look, knowing her tone was tinged with amusement. "You're truly terrible at hiding things."

He looked at her hesitantly, wondering if he should tell her everything. But just as he was about to, the door was flung open and Mr Tyler strode in. He paused when he saw them sat there, quirking an eyebrow. "Problem?" he questioned, glancing at Phillip.

He quickly shook his head. "No," he said hastily, rising to his feet and looking back at Rachel. "Thanks."

She frowned as she stood and followed him to the door of the office. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

"Okay…" she agreed, puzzled, as the boy made his escape from the office. Something was definitely wrong with him.

An entire morning of arguments with Max Tyler later, Rachel had almost forgotten all about her previous conversation with Phillip. If home life was bad enough, the added pressure of work was not adding to her mood. She longed to lock herself away for a further 6 weeks, the summer period being nowhere near enough time to process how her life had turned out and what the future held for her. Usually, work was her opportunity to forget the world outside and throw herself into her daily challenges at Waterloo Road. But the introduction of Max Tyler had worsened her mood and meant she felt she no longer had an escape. She rounded the corner to the canteen and found Phillip deep in conversation with Ros, but she knew she needed to make sure he was truly okay for her own mindset. Their earlier conversation was the kick up the backside that she needed to not let everything around her fail, starting where her heart lay which was with her family.

Phillip saw Rachel approaching and stopped mid-sentence, something Ros had noticed straight away.

"Phil, she needs to know. You know what you need to say, you've practiced. Do this for them." Ros encouraged, knowing that Phil needed all the help he could get when it came for sticking up for himself and what he thought was right.

"I know she does. Thanks for, you know.. listening." Phillip sent her a warm smile, trying to hide the tint of pink that was creeping up his cheeks as they locked eyes for longer than a split second. He stood as Rachel approached and greeted her, not wanting to start any conversation in a canteen full of students.

"Phil, what's wrong?" As Phillip approached her, she knew something was truly wrong. He was paler than she had ever seen him and all she wanted to do was wrap him in her arms and shield from what whatever was troubling him. "Shall we go somewhere more quiet?" She looked around and immediately wanted to take him away from crowds, to truly find out what was wrong with him. She knew her office was off bounds, Max had arranged another meeting that she had no idea on the agenda. She walked him to Kim's office, grateful to find it empty and ushered her nephew inside. They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, before Phillip finally spoke up while wringing his hands together as a coping mechanism.

"I stayed at Eddie's last night, I can't stay with mum any more."

Rachel froze. This was bad. "Okay…" she forced her voice to remain calm. "What happened?"

"I just… I couldn't. Can't. I don't even like her. I mean, she's my mum, and I love her but I know she doesn't fell the same about me. And I don't want to be around her."

"Phil, of course your mother loves you…"

He shook his head. "She barely notices I'm there. And when she does, she just uses me as an ear to moan at."

Oh Melissa, what have you done to your son? Rachel silently cursed her sister, her hands wavering at her sides as she was torn between reaching out to him or not. Phillip had never been particularly touchy-feely. Between being a teenage boy and being raised by Melissa, he didn't seek it nor was he particularly good at showing it, and she was uncertain if any demonstrations would be welcome or not.

"What happened, love? Why'd you leave?"

"She… she…" his mouth opened and closed as he rocked back and forth on his heels, apparently torn between speaking or not.

"Phillip, you can tell me," she assured him gently, giving into her urge to reach and grip his arm reassuringly for a moment. "Whatever it is."

"She lied," he forced out, mind racing. Should he tell her? Would it make things worse?

"Okay. About what?" Rachel questioned, still maintaining a tone as calm as possible.

"Everything!" he burst out. "And I know I shouldn't be surprised, that lying is what she does but I so wanted to believe her this time! I didn't want to think that she could be so selfish! But she was and now everything is wrong, and it's all her fault and I wish she'd never come back! I wish she'd just stayed away! And I know I'm a terrible person for thinking that but it's true!"

"You're not a terrible person!" Rachel reached out for him, one hand gripping his shoulder while the other cupped his face. "You're not, Phillip. Melissa is… difficult. And I'm afraid she's always been selfish. I'm sorry you're taking the brunt of it."

He looked down, a thoroughly miserable expression on his face. "I just… I wanted my mum back. I wanted her to care. But she didn't even come back for me, did she?"

Rachel didn't know what to say. Instead, she enfolded him into a hug. He stiffened for a brief moment, and she had just enough time to worry that it was the wrong thing to do when his arms came around her to cling to her tightly. "Everything's going to be okay, Phillip," she promised him quietly. She drew back just enough to see his face. "Listen to me- am I correct in thinking you don't want to live there anymore?"

He shook his head.

"Right then. Any objections to moving back in with me?"

"Really?" he looked surprised.

"Of course. Unless you'd rather stay on Eddie's sofa?"

He shook his head. "I just… I thought that since I left…"

"You went to your mum, Phil. I'd have done the same at your age. Your room's just how you left it- I'll take you to pick up your stuff whenever you want."

He chewed his lip. "What if mum kicks off?"

"You're sixteen. Legally, you can live where you please." And didn't she hate that she knew that.

"Thank you," he said quietly. She gave him a smile, finding that her heart didn't hurt quite as much around him anymore.

"I'll see you later. Chin up."

He nodded, and left and she let herself drop to lean on the desk, exhausted. She wasn't stupid- something else had happened, and with Melissa involved she dreaded to think what that might be.

Finally getting through the day, Rachel felt like she had something to look forward to at least. Something to fill the void in her life, to add something to her too quiet life and make her house a home once more. She didn't dare to think about how she once had the perfect home, with the teenager to keep is lively and the man of her dreams to hold her at night. No matter what scenario she had found herself in that afternoon, she felt she had a spring in her step at long last. Phillip waited by her car, and she unlocked it to allow her in to the warmth. She followed him inside to started her car before turning to him and sharing a sweet smile.

"Are you ready to come home?" She asked him, wanting to reiterate how wanted he was in her house and how much she was there for him no matter the situation.

"Are you sure about this Rach?" Phillip asked timidly, still unsure of himself and waiting for the ball to drop where Rachel realised she had no place in her life for a sixteen year old to take up her life and space.

"Of course I am, I've missed you Phil. I've had nobody to watch awful TV with." She nudged him with her shoulder and finally pulled out of her parking spot, following Phillip's directions to the new house that Melissa had taken residence in. Rachel had never visited herself, but had sent a card when she was told about the arrival of the baby. Luckily, Phillip didn't give her details other than that he had a brother, she knew she couldn't face knowing much more. But it wasn't an address she saved, or hoped to use in the future.

"Do you need my help?" Rachel asked cautiously as she rolled to a stop outside the house, dreading Phillip was to take her up on her offer and she would have to face her sister who was living the life she longed for.

"No don't worry about it, I took a load of stuff to Eddie's anyway so we can grab it on the way to yours." He threw the comment at her before leaving the car and offering her a warm smile, leaving Rachel reeling with the new development. Even the sound of his name had sent her stomach doing somersaults, never mind the thought of even parking her car outside his place. It was too close for comfort, and she wasn't sure how she was going to cope.

Phillip entered his house to the sound of wailing, and walked in to find his mother violently rocking Jacob in an attempt to stop his cries.

"Oh Phillip, thank goodness you're here. He won't stop crying and Eddie isn't picking up!" She tried to pass the baby over to her son, but Phillip took a step back and held his hands up.

"Jacob isn't Eddie's baby, stop ringing him. I'm moving in with Rachel. For good." He tried to gage the reaction he was about to receive from his mother, but he didn't have time to process what he had said before she let out a piercing scream.

"How dare you! How can you leave me with this baby? I'm on my own Phil, I need you." Melissa shook with anger as Jacob's cries got louder from her outburst, and she felt close to breaking point.

"You need me to take the baby so you can go out and line up your next husband, I'm not stupid!" Phillip defending his actions, but clearly his mother's voice had alerted Rachel as she had entered the house and now stood behind him. Her eyes were focused on the baby in Melissa's arms, the child who belonged to the man who held her heart but she placed a comforting hand on his back to reassure him that he wasn't alone.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Melissa snapped, before rounding on her sister. "What the hell have you been saying to him?"

Rachel regarded her calmly. "Phil, go get your things," she ordered quietly, before stepping towards her little sister. "Come with me."

Somewhat ignoring the squalling baby, she guided her into what she could see to be the living room, pushing gently on her shoulders to get her to sit down. Expecting an argument, not this, Melissa had a bewildered look on her face as she allowed her to do it. Once she was sat, Rachel crouched in front of her. "You're his mother," she nodded towards the baby. "Calm down, and think for a moment. What does he need?"

"I don't know!"

"Yes you do," she countered evenly. "Think, Melissa."

For once, the blonde did as she was told. He was fed, and clean but undoubtably tired- if he wouldn't stop crying, how the hell was she supposed to get him to sleep? What made babies sleep? White noise, full tummies, feeling safe… suddenly, a distant memory flickered in the back of her mind. "Can you hand me that?" she nodded to a blanket discarded on the coffee table, taking it with a nod of thanks and laying it on her lap. A few false starts later, Jacob was clumsily swaddled and she positioned him opposite to how he'd been earlier, now with his head to the left, pressed so that he could hear her heartbeat.

His ear-piercing wails quietened somewhat- he was still crying, but not the extent he had been. Relief and triumph rushed through her as she swayed gently from side to side. Over his hiccupping sobs, she heard Rachel speak. "See? You knew."

Mel shook her head. "He doesn't stop. He'll start again soon."

"That's what babies do."

Rachel straightened, wincing as her back twinged. Melissa grabbed her hand, the sudden motion causing the baby to screech. "Don't leave," she pleaded. "I need help. Please Rach."

But she was already shaking her head. "You're my sister, Mel, and I love you dearly. But I can't fix everything for you anymore. You're an adult, with two children." She brushed her sister's hair from her eyes, smiling sadly. "Time to grow up."

"Rach…"

"Phil will be with me for as long as he wishes." Her tone had turned business-like, and she turned away from her sister, unable to bear the sight any longer. "Don't you dare even think about badgering him to come back. He has no responsibility towards that baby and you should be ashamed for even asking it of him."

She resolutely didn't glance back as she walked away, finding Phillip standing with an awed look on his face in the hallway. "That was great!" he exclaimed gleefully. She smiled exhaustedly.

"Can you manage with what you have for tonight?" she asked, leading him outside and back to the car. "I really just want to go home…"

"Sure," he nodded, throwing the bags into the boot and climbing in. "Are you really sure about this?"

"You ask me that one more time, I'm making you do the washing up for a week."

He grinned, meeting her eyes and was pleased to see that albeit tired, now, her smile was at least reaching them. His beam widened, and she looked curious but didn't question it as she turned the key and started the drive home.

Phillip knew what she was doing, she was stalling from being anywhere within a short distance from Eddie. However, he was also aware that she had just faced the woman that had potentially ruined her life and also the baby that she still believed to have been fathered by her love. He decided to give her a break, and give himself the time to figure out the exact plan he was going to follow regarding Eddie and Rachel. Thinking of Eddie, Phillip made sure to remember to let him know that he wouldn't be staying another night but would explain tomorrow, so sent off a text to make sure he didn't worry further. Pulling to to Rachel's, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He didn't have the added pressure to dealing with his mum here, nor would he be awake at all hours when his mum didn't wake to Jacob's cries. He felt able to be a teenager again under this roof, finally feeling safe and relaxed.

"Will Jacob be okay?" Phillip asked, needing reassurance from his Aunt as the guilt ate away at him whenever he thought of the situation he had left the baby in.

"Melissa is going to be fine. If you're really worried, ring Eddie. He can try and sort something with the baby." Saying the words felt like poison on her tongue, and she had yet to use the little boy's name as it hurt too much. Just saying Eddie's name was like a sword to the stomach, but she knew it was necessary when Phillip was concerned. In his presence, she could no longer pretend that Eddie didn't exist and she wasn't living in a bubble of false positivity.

"What's for tea then?" Phillip quickly changed the subject, not wanting to lie to Rachel but also not ready to tell her the truth. He ached to get to bed so he was able to phone Ros and get her thoughts of how the current situation should be dealt with.

"I made a bolognese in the slow cooker, are you ready to face my cooking again?" Forever a running joke about how she should not be allowed in the kitchen, Rachel could pride herself on at least making a good spaghetti dish.

"I'm ready, I'm just going to head to unpack. Do you mind?" Rachel shook her head and smiled as he headed back to the room he had occupied for months. In the previous months, she had longed to hear footsteps on her landing to remind her to wasn't alone anymore. Phillip bound up the stairs and threw his duffel bag on the bed, not stopping to pack before throwing himself on the bed and pulling out his phone. He selected Ros' number immediately, desperate to sort this awful situation as soon as possible.

"Phillip?"

"Hi."

"What happened? Did you tell Miss Mason?" Ros demanded.

"Not exactly…"

"WHAT?"

He winced, holding the phone away from his ear. "Things got complicated…" he told her everything that had happened, from his mother's reaction to his aunt's actions. He couldn't keep the pride out of his voice when he described how calm and collected she'd remained, nor could he hide the disgust and hurt when talking about his mother. When he'd finished, Ros was silent for a long moment, to the point where he wondered if they'd been cut off. "You there?"

"Yeah…" she confirmed. "Phil, you've got to tell her the truth."

"How can I? I'm not even sure she'll believe me."

"Then get Eddie to tell her the truth."

Phillip blinked. "What?"

"Get him to tell her." He could practically hear her shrugging. "Then she'll believe it, right?"

"Yeah, but how am I going to get them in the same place? Eddie won't come here or to school, and she won't go to him!"

A frustrated note entered her voice. "Find a way to make them! Phil, you said they loved each other. Then they should be together!"

"Well, I'm open to ideas!" he hissed, as he heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Dinner in five, Phil!" Rachel called through the closed door.

"Thanks!" he listened as she padded into her own room, heard the slight thud as she closed to door behind her and guessed she was getting changed out of her work clothes. "Ros, I don't know what to do!" he emphasised, as loudly as he dared.

"You know what you need to do Phil, you know them best! Rachel needs to know, Eddie needs to talk to her." Phillip nodded his agreement even though she couldn't see him, before thanking her and ending the call. He didn't feel like he knew what to do any more than he did before, but he knew he felt better today than he had done in weeks.

He spent a few hours with Rachel, avoiding the conversation about his mother but enjoying catching up about their summers. He knew something was wrong with Rachel as she froze whenever he mentioned his school, but that would be a situation for another time. He helped her clean up before they both realized how exhausted they were after the days events, both physically and emotionally.

"Phil, it's been a long day. I'm going to head to bed, don't forget to set your alarm." Rachel reminded him, falling straight back into their normal routine as if they had never been apart.

"You'll come and wake me up anyway Rach, and you know it." She smirked at him and turned to head upstairs, but Philip suddenly had a brain wave. "We never did get to go bowling, did we?" Rachel came to a standstill, hand on the bannister but frozen in place as the memories came flooding back.

"I don't suppose we did." She replied, swallowing the lump in her throat as she tried to shake away every ounce of happiness she had registered with the word bowling. She still remembered what Eddie wore, what he smelt like on that night, the way his lips felt when they were finally on hers.

"Let's go, on Friday. Me and you, start the weekend the right way. I owe you." Philip knew all about the history that the bowling alley had for the couple, so couldn't think of a better way to attempt for them to rekindle what they once had.

"I don't know Phil, I'll be so tired." Rachel tried to reason with him, trying to think of any plausible excuse to get out of a setting she really didn't want to be in. But what look at his face and a thought to the past weeks he must have had, she softened and held her head up high. She could do this. "Fine, we'll go." She agreed, rolling her eyes as he celebrated her agreement. She finally excused herself to retire up to bed, and Phillip went to his own room to begin to hatch his plan. Going on Friday meant he had the next day to get Eddie's agreement, and then it was time to figure out how exactly he was going to make this work in a bowling alley. He'd need Ros, for sure. And maybe even some others in order to pull this off. But he was determined to right a few of his mother's wrongs, even if it meant being the bad guy for a short time.

The next morning, as soon as he'd bade goodbye to Rachel he dashed to the library where Ros was studying before registration, her head bent over her books. "Hi!" he dropped down opposite her, making her jump and shoot him a glare before looking at him expectantly.

"So? Did you tell her?"

He shook his head. "I have a plan," he explained proudly. She looked alarmed.

"A plan?"

"Yup." He nodded, grinning as he leant closer and dropped his voice. "Rachel and Eddie got together while bowling-,"

"Bowling?" she quizzed.

"Yeah, you know…" he mimed throwing a bowling bowl. "So, I asked Rach last night, and I'm going to ask Eddie today. By the time they realise the other is there, it'll be too late."

Ros looked confused. "I thought you said they wouldn't stay in the same place if they spotted each other?"

"That's part two. We're going to make sure they don't leave." He grinned proudly. Ros's eyes widened.

"We're going to what, now?"

"Well, us and a few others…"

She stared at him. "Did you hit your head last night?"

"No, listen- I have it all worked out," he assured her. "And I think it will work… at least, I hope it will," he added thoughtfully. Ros didn't look convinced.

"What others?" Ros asked skeptically, she knew how much Phillip wanted this to work with how miserable he had been lately. She heard about the situation through her fellow John Fosters pupils, who thrived off the gossip about their current head and her precious deputy. However after meeting Phil and hearing the truth, she knew she needed to help him.

"Some people we can trust. Bolton will know who else can help, I'll get him on board. He really likes my Aunt so he'll be good." Phillip reassured himself, not knowing how well Rachel would react to knowing that he was enlisting the help of fellow pupils with personal matters. However, he was desperate. This situation needed sorting. "And I'm going to see Eddie tonight so I can sort that side of things out."

Hours later, Phillip placed a hand on his knee to stop his knee twitching. He had stayed at school and waited until Eddie arrived home from work before heading over, needing the extra time to mentally prepare himself for the conversation he was about to have. He had imagined every scenario and played them all out in his head, so he felt ready.

"Are you spending the night again Phil?" Eddie had only inferred that Philip asking to come over meant that there had been another argument with Melissa and he needed more space. He couldn't blame him, Eddie had spent the precious night alone with a glass of whiskey to numb the pain as he deleted every photo of Jacob and scan photo to still exist on his phone. Part of him hoped he would still be able to be part of the baby's life, but he also knew after his reaction that Melissa would no doubt involve the real father and he did not want involvement in that messy situation.

"No Eddie, that's the thing. I've moved out of mum's. I'm back at Rachel's, for good. I know you offered to put me up but I don't want to burden you, and I've missed being with my Aunt. She was more than a mum to me than my mum ever has been, you know?" Phillip rambled, his precious preparation doing nothing to his nerves as he twisted his hands and avoided all eye contact.

"Phillip!" Eddie cut him off, amused. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm glad you're happy."

He relaxed. "I am," he agreed. "It's odd, but she worries about me. Where I am, who I'm with. It's… nice. Mum never has."

"Did you see your mum?"

He made a face. "Yeah. She didn't take it well. But Rach was brilliant- I don't know exactly what she did, but sixty seconds and she stopped mum from shouting and got her to actually care for Jacob as well." Eddie looked down at his hands, a pained expression flashing across his face. Phil winced. "Sorry."

He waved him off. "How… how is Rachel?" he asked tentatively. Phillip grimaced, hesitating for a long moment before deciding to be honest.

"Not good," he answered frankly. "Things at school are difficult for her. Mr Tyler hates her, and she's really involved with these two girls whose mum just killed their dad. I think it's hard for her."

He risked a glance at Eddie, but the man had his head bowed so he couldn't see his expression. "Your aunt's a damn good headteacher," he said, only sounding half-convinced. "She'll work it out."

"She's lonely," Phillip divulged, with only a hint of guilt stabbing at him as he did so. "She tries to hide it, but I see. Miss Campbell tries, but Rach doesn't completely trust her. Not like she did you. And I think the teachers are dealing with the merger as badly as the kids, so there's no help there."

"She's got a new deputy, doesn't she? He must help…" Eddie sounded unsure. Phillip felt a flash of triumph- he was getting through to him!

"Mr Mead? He's okay, I guess. Won't say boo to a goose though."

Now, a small frown was set in Eddie's face. Phillip watched him for a moment. "She doesn't smile anymore," he said quietly. His eyes snapped up to meet his.

"What?"

"Not properly," Phil continued. "She smiles at us kids, but it drops as soon as she thinks no one is watching, and they never reach her eyes."

Eddie was inundated with memories of Rachel smiling and laughing, her eyes expressing her every emotion. They would flash and sparkle as she teased him, light up when he made her laugh. And would show every drop of pain and sadness in the right circumstances too, he recalled. He shook himself, tearing away back to the present to where Phillip was watching him, an odd expression on his face. When he saw Eddie looking, though, he ducked his head to hide it.

It wasn't until later, after they'd eaten dinner than Phillip found the opening he was hoping for. "You busy tomorrow night?"

Eddie glanced at him suspiciously. "No… why?"

"Do you want to come bowling?" he invited innocently. "Everyone's busy, Rach is at some meeting and I haven't been in ages."

In the same way as is had with Rachel, Eddie's heart sank at the very mention of the word bowling. Memories flooded back of the last time bowling had been suggested to him, and just how amazing that had turned out. Their first kiss, and the many more than followed after he had let Rachel beat him at the game. He'd spent his first night at Rachel's that night, simply talking on the sofa until the early hours and trying not to wake Phillip up with their laughing. He had finally left around 3am, feeling like a teenager as he snuck out and caught 2 hours of sleep before spending the next day with Michael. It had been the start of something special, and they didn't go a day without speaking from that moment. Even with Rachel away on a course, they spoke daily and always knew how the other's day had gone. He felt like a failure now he knew about Rachel's life, and hearing that she was struggling was like a dagger to the heart. Still, he looked after at Phillip's eager eyes and knew he couldn't say no. The kid needed a break and if a night at a bowling alley was going to do that, Eddie would make sure to not let him down.

"Of course mate, I can meet you there?" Eddie offered, not yet ready to take the drive back to Waterloo Road to pick him up. He knew Philip would be safe making his own way there so he didn't allow himself to feel too guilty.

"That sounds great Eddie, thank you!" Phillip beamed his appreciation and picked up his phone, noticing the late time and deciding to ask Rachel to pick him up on her way home. She had stayed late to finish off paperwork, and something had happened in the day that hadn't gone down well with her.

Not 15 minutes later, he received another text. Rachel had agreed but had now parked one street over, claiming to not be able to find anywhere to park. However, Phil knew it as an excuse to not come any closer to the flat that she really needed to. He gathered his things and said his goodbyes with the promise of meeting tomorrow. Eddie gave him an awkward pat on the back and told him to be careful on his way to Rachel's car, but even her name on his lips made his stomach drop. With Eddie's reaction and Rachel refusing to even park her car outside, maybe this would be more difficult than Phillip had ever imagined.

Thankfully, Rachel was disinclined to question him about his evening, unable to stomach hearing about Eddie. Phillip instead filled the car with chatter about school, with gossip about Bolton and Michaela and the latest faux pas of Miss Haydock. By the time they arrived home, it was late enough that Rachel headed straight up to bed, and Phillip thanked his lucky stars that despite his aunt's unerring ability to sense when someone was about to cause mischief, she seemed to have a blind spot when it came to him.

As soon as the thought occurred to him, a wave of guilt hit him as he remembered the trouble he'd caused the previous year. Rachel hadn't been happy, he remembered. But unlike his mother when she was upset, he hadn't borne the brunt of it for weeks on end and once his penance had been paid, she'd never mentioned it again. It was nice, he thought, not to feel like he had to be the grown up one all the time.

He echoed the thought the next morning, when instead of having to make sure his mother was awake enough to look after her baby, he managed to wash and dress unimpeded, and didn't have to raise his voice once. Rachel had been up- as usual- for a while by the time he crawled out of bed and was already dressed and ready for the day, sat doing paperwork while drinking a mug of coffee when he stumbled into the kitchen. "Good morning." She glanced up, amused when she received only a grunt in return.

Phil poured himself a bowl of cereal that was waiting for him on the side, and plopped down next her. "You not eating?"

"I'm okay."

She studiously didn't look up. Phillip narrowed his eyes at her as he munched, aware of her atrocious eating habits in the morning. Eddie had hated it too, he remembered, going so far as to wake up early one morning to cook her pancakes. She'd laughed, called him a sap and shared the plate with him (as well as several kisses, but Phillip skipped over reliving those).

He would watch her at lunch, he decided, and if she didn't make an appearance in the canteen he would bring something to her. She wouldn't have much choice but to eat then.

"Hurry it up, Phil. We've got to go in ten."

Distracted by his train of thoughts, he hadn't realised his aunt had stood and was looking down at him. He blinked. "Right," he agreed. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Teenagers," she muttered, humour colouring her tone. "Never fully awake before nine."

"Ten," he grunted in disagreement, depositing his bowl in the sink. Despite that, he was waiting by the door right on time when she came down the stairs, looking mildly impressed with him. He poked his tongue out at her, deftly avoided the sharp prod that came his way in response and climbed into the car, just managing to contain his antsy energy and avoid his aunt's questions on why he was so keen to get to school. After all, she might guess something was up if he told her he desperately needed to talk to Bolton before the bell rang.

"Bolton, I need you." He threw himself down on the table next to him, trying to ignore the dramatic eye roll that Bolton gave him at his enthusiasm so early in the morning.

"Lower the volume and we can talk." Phillip suspected that Bolton had a heavy night and possibly a party, but he wasn't one to judge.

"Some things I'm about to tell you can't go any further, I'm trusting you because it's about my Aunt." Phillip knew the way to win Bolton's trust was to mention Rachel, knowing how much respect Bolton had for her.

"Is she in trouble? Is this about that Mr Tyler? I knew he was a wrongun!" Bolton slammed his fist down, and Phillip looked around to see if they had attracted any attention. Luckily, everyone was oblivious and Phil could continue his plan.

"No, but we can talk about that another time." Phillip was glad other people were noticing the change in his Aunt, and would be dealing with that after this situation was resolved. "It's about Eddie. Mr Lawson, I mean." He corrected himself, remembering that the students did not know the pair as well as he did.

"Are you finally going to tell me what happened? Mate I've been dying to know!" Bolton clapped his hands together with glee, practically buzzing with excitement to get the juiciest gossip he's been waiting to hear.

"Kind of, but I do need your help. We need to get them back together. A lot has happened." Without knowing how much to truly tell Bolton, he felt slightly stumped. But he knew his friend would need some kind of information to pacify him in order to get the plan into action. "So mum came back pregnant, everyone knows this. And Rachel and Eddie split, meaning Eddie left. But the baby isn't his, we've just found out. Rachel doesn't know and they're both still heartbroken. We need to get them back together, yeah? Are you following?" Phillip sped through the past few weeks, leaving out many major details but wanting to get straight to the point of his plan and how his was going to make it through the evening alive.

"Wait, what? Mate, this is Jeremy Kyle stuff. What am I meant to do?" Bolton felt like he'd had his brain fried, he didn't expect to be doing any of this. Especially not for his head teacher and his old deputy head. However, nothing about this school was ever normal or simple so he knew he needed to try.

"I need a way to get them to stay in one place long enough to have a conversation," Phillip explained. "I've got them both meeting me at the bowling place at the same time."

"But they don't know the other's gonna be there?"

"No…"

Bolton stared at him. "Mate…"

"Can you help me or not?" Phillip asked impatiently. In reply, the other boy pulled out his phone and began to text someone. Phil stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Texting Janeece. She'll be much better at stuff like this than we will."

He looked alarmed. "She'll also spread it around the entire school! It's supposed to be a secret! If Rach finds out she'll never agree to go!"

Bolton waved a hand at him. "Jan can keep a secret when needed."

Phillip looked dubious, but waited patiently until a reply had buzzed through. "She'll meet us at break, and she's going to bring some help." Bolton told him. He gulped.

"Help?"

Bolton grinned, rising from his chair and slapping him on the back. "You wanted help? This is Waterloo Road, mate- you should know to be careful what you wish for."

He walked away, whistling and Phillip was left sat in his chair, eyes wide and a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Phillip looked around the bowling alley for the fifteenth time, his leg shaking as he surveyed the area once more to see if anyone had arrived. Rachel and Eddie were both late, and he was getting anxious. Luckily, his plan to include Bolton had worked, despite him telling most of the school at this point. Michaela had known someone who worked at the place, whose manager happened to previously attend Waterloo Road. With a little bit of persuasion and the promise that they'd get an many students to attend in the coming weeks, the manager had agreed to only keep the place open for Phillip and let the public in later. Phillip had never been more grateful, knowing that the couple would most definitely want some privacy. Ros had agreed to keep Rachel busy until she knew Eddie had arrived, with the help of a few other students in case that didn't work. Bolton was also on hand with an older friend, waiting for Phillip's text to come and pick him up to leave the two alone to talk privately. That or make a secret escape if his plan completely failed. Just as he was about to completely give up, Eddie walked over to him.

"It's a bit quiet in here isn't it?" Eddie looked around at all the empty lanes and took off his jacket, throwing it onto the seat next to Phillip as well as his laptop bag from work. Phillip smiled at his presence and quickly text Ros to tell her that Rachel should be on her way, who received the text gratefully as stalling was not going to plan.

"I know, it looks like we beat the rush. Are you ready to lose?" Phillip keyed in their names and allowed Eddie to collect the first ball. "So how was your day?" He started the small talk, needing to stall and keep Eddie occupied until Rachel arrived.

By the time Eddie was lining up his ball for his first go, Phillip finally spotted his Aunt's head enter the door and spot him. She smiled and turned the corner, typing away on her phone as she walked towards him.

"Sorry I'm late Phil, have you started without... Eddie?" Rachel finally looked up, just as Eddie had rolled the ball and turned back to head to his seat. They both stood rooted on the spot, and Phillip knew he needed to act quick before one of them bolted towards the door.

Quick as a flash, he darted forward and grabbed his aunt's hand, tugging her forward closer to Eddie. "Okay- so you two really need to talk and this was the only way I could think of to get you in the same place," he explained in a rush. "You have the place to yourselves for an hour. And in case you get any bright ideas, the doors are locked. Now for God's sakes, talk!"

And with that, he spun on the spot and dashed away. As he dodged through the place, the music blaring out of the speakers subtly changed, now slower, and he grinned. Danielle and Aleesha appeared, identical smirks on their faces. "We set up an hour's worth of music," the former informed him, falling into step beside him as they quickly walked out. "Despite the appalling criteria you gave us."

They slipped out the door, where Michaela was waiting to lock it behind them. "Security guard is in the office- he's got a key in case of emergencies," she informed them, twisting the key.

Ros was waiting as well, looking dubious. "Do you really think this is going to work?" she questioned and Phillip shrugged.

"I hope so. Or I think I'm going to be grounded until I'm thirty."

While the teens were making a quick exit, Rachel and Eddie were staring at each other in silence, neither entirely sure what to say. Rachel wasn't sure she even could speak- her throat had a painfully large lump in it, her stomach felt as if someone had sucker-punched her. She looked at the man she'd once entertained thoughts of spending her life with, and pain and grief lanced through her; she remembered Melissa holding that tiny, perfect baby just a couple of days before, a baby that might have been hers in another life, and she had to force herself to take a deep breath. She dug her nails into her palm, and reminded herself as strongly as she could that Eddie wasn't hers anymore.

Eddie watched a dizzying array of emotions dance in her eyes, his own heart pounding. He used the time to study her, felt something inside him clench when he noted how tired she looked, how pale she was even under the awful lighting above them. Phillip hadn't been exaggerating in his descriptions, he concluded. Her face contorted for a brief moment- she looked almost broken, and then in the next instant he could almost see the moment she fortified herself, fists clenching. He had to resist the urge to smile- despite everything, she was painfully easy for him to read.

He decided to break the silence. "He's… he's something else," he offered, and was unbelievably relieved when her lips twisted into a faint smile, however forced.

"He certainly is. He's also grounded, not that he knows it yet."

He huffed out a laugh. They fell quiet again, each scrutinising the other. Grief washed through him- whatever else had happened between them, it had never been awkward before. Even moving from friends to something more… it had been as natural as breathing. This… this was torture. He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You look lovely," he told her quietly, and she flinched.

"Eddie… I, I don't quite know what Phillip is expecting here…"

"He's a sixteen-year-old boy. I doubt even he knows." His joke didn't completely fall flat when she gave a tiny smile. "He told me he's back living with you," he continued. She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's nice. I'd missed having him around."

"He missed you as well," Eddie told her. "It's good that he came to you. I didn't think he would, but after everything that happened… well, I wasn't really much help. I think he probably did more for me, to be honest."

She paused, confused. She ran his sentence over again in her head, confirmed it still didn't make much sense, and tilted her head at him. "I… don't understand," she admitted, a baffled look on her face. "Help with what?"

He stared at her, wondering how she could be so clever and so dense until he saw the genuine bemusement in her eyes- all of a sudden, the pieces fell together and realisation dawned. "Bloody hell… he didn't tell you."

Rachel felt the blood drain from her face, terrified of what was next to come. She wasn't sure she even wanted to hear it, too scared of the situation she was already in without it escalating further.

"Look, Eddie.. I don't need to know. I should go, right now." She looked around, hoping if she begged hard enough that Phillip would have some mercy and let her go home. She needed to process the day she had with Max Tyler, never mind the added stress of seeing Eddie for the first time since she'd had her heart broken.

"First Rach, let me tell you the truth. If you know and still want to leave, it's absolutely fine. But you do need to know." He noticed her hesitate, saw the pain behind her eyes as she looked at him. He stepped closer to her, not knowing what else to do but not being able to stand the distance between them much longer. He longed to reach out for her, to pull her close to him and empty her of all the pain she had felt in the past month. Instead, he carefully reached out and took hold of her hand. He felt her flinch and felt the tears spring to his eyes, hating that his touch did that to her now. He lead her over to a bench, wanting her to be sat down and comfortable while they spoke. As soon as they were sat, she pulled back her hand and lay her bag on her knees, hugging it close to her stomach as a form of protection. She couldn't have contact with him, couldn't have the constant feel of electricity as they touched if she was made to listen to whatever Eddie felt he needed to say.

"I know you don't want to hear me out, but the thing is. Melissa lied, to us all. She's hurt me in ways I didn't know possible. I lost you, and then I lost the baby." Rachel furrowed her brows in confusion, trying to piece together the information that Eddie was finding it so hard to come out with.

"Eddie, I saw him. A few days ago, he's fine?" She asked carefully, scared of what Eddie did and didn't know now about the situation. However, she thought of Phillip and knew there was no way he hadn't told Eddie that the baby was in fact with Melissa at home.

Eddie was momentarily fixed on the spot, too focused on thinking of Rachel holding a baby. Their baby, a perfect mix of the two of them and the uncountable unconditional love that Rachel would provide. "He's not mine Rachel, he wasn't early. I had a test, I've lost everything."

He blurted it out as quickly as he could, the words still sending a stab of pain into his gut. He watched as a blur of emotions played out over her face- confusion, then realisation rapidly followed by shock, sympathy, anger and hurt. And then she turned away from him, apparently processing the information, closing her eyes as a simple "Oh Mel…" left her lips. She was torn between wanting to immediately go and yell at her sister, and comforting the obviously distraught man beside her. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Did she know?"

Eddie nodded, and fury flashed through her. "She lied," she stated flatly. White hot anger flashed through her, and only some leftover sense of decorum kept her from screaming. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this furious- even her outburst at Stuart Hordley hadn't come close and one hand had found the wooden bench beside her, fingernails digging in.

"Rach?"

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. How could Melissa have done this? She'd known what she was doing, had seen the devastating consequences… and still kept up the pretence.

A hand settling over hers had her eyes flying open to meet Eddie's. There was no pity in his gaze, only shared understanding. And she felt a stab of guilt when she realised that whatever she was feeling, it was multiplied for him. He'd lost a child… again.

"I'm so sorry, Eddie."

He shook his head. "Of all the people who should be apologising in this situation, you are definitely not one of them."

"Mel… she…"

"Don't make excuses for her," he warned sharply. And she shook her head, because that hadn't been what he was going to say at all.

"I'm not," she assured him. "I'm… furious with her. I honestly think she's missing the capability to think of anyone beyond herself."

Without either of them realising it, she'd turned her hand over and clasped his.

He huffed out a bitter laugh. "I agree. Including her children, unfortunately. Phillip has been… well, you must have seen."

Rachel nodded her agreement, knowing how distraught and distracted Phillip had been until she'd offered him a place to stay. Dealing with this situation and hearing the fallout from it must have been worse than she had ever imagined. She knew the argument must have been bad to cause him to leave home once more, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine thing. Especially after seeing the baby, after feeling complete jealously for the woman holding the child of the man she loved.

"I don't have words, that poor baby. Poor you, Eddie! I know how excited you were." Despite the circumstances, nobody have ever doubted the love Eddie felt for this child as soon as he was presented with the bump from Melissa.

"I was excited to have another child Rach, not for anything else. Losing the baby was like having my heart ripped from my chest, but knowing I'd lost you for no reason was like someone stamping on it hundreds of times. All of the hurt, what has she done?" Eddie finally felt like his emotions hit him at once, holding his head in his hands as his shoulders shook with sobs. Rachel didn't hesitate before throwing her arms around him and pulling him close, letting him cry against her as he finally received the comfort he had been so desperate for. She guessed that he had yet to tell anybody else, have anybody else to talk to about the awful situation he'd found himself in. She know it was not her fault at all, but she felt guilty for not being there for him.

"I've lost everything Rach, I've got nothing left." He whispered, his voice sounding nothing like she'd ever heard from him before. He was broken, completely destroyed by the past months and the heartache they brought for him.

"You haven't Eddie, think of Michael. You have him, and Phil. You're a dad to him too! Please, don't think like that." She begging him, holding his face between her hands and making sure their eyes met as she spoke so he could see the sincerity in her words.

"I want you Rach.." He trailed off his sentence, knowing with every word he was walking towards a bomb that could explode at any given moment. "I lost you, I'll never get that back. I can never love anyone as much as I loved you. I mean.. love you.. still love you."

She froze. He still loved her?

Eddie watched her carefully, bringing up his hand to place over the top of hers, waiting patiently for her response. She gazed at him, attempting to read the truth in his eyes. "Eddie… I don't want to be a rebound, or a consolation prize…" she said cautiously, voice trembling as she attempted to keep the raw hope out of it.

"As if you ever could be," he scoffed in a murmur. "You are the one I want, the one I've always wanted. And I was an idiot last year… but I've been in love with you for a very long time now. It just seems as if the universe keeps getting in the way."

Rachel inhaled sharply at his admission, still looking at him. If she tried hard enough, she could come up with a dozen reasons why this was a bad idea… but she was so tired of being the sensible one, and she wanted this so very badly. She had spent so much of her life being selfless, trying to help others at the cost of her own happiness, devoting so much of herself to her professional life that she'd obliterated any semblance of a personal one. Hadn't she earnt the right to be the selfish one for once?

So for the first time in a very long while, she threw caution to the wind and followed her heart. In their position, it was so easy to simply draw him closer, leaning into him until she could press her lips against his.

She'd intended to be gentle, slow and soft until emotions were calmer and there would be no regrets. But the instance their lips touched, a hundred memories assaulted them both and Eddie slid his hand around her waist to bring her closer. Her hands slipped from their position, one arm anchoring herself around his neck while the other lifted to run through his hair.

When oxygen became an issue, they broke apart just far enough that they could catch their breaths, leaning their foreheads together. "I love you too," Rachel whispered.

Finally, her admission was out there. The second time they had ever muttered the words to one another, and it felt fantastic. This time, it wasn't said as a goodbye. It was a promise, a promise that their feelings haven't changed in the recent months of turmoil. Rachel no longer had the dark cloud about her head, the stress lifted about being second best or once again losing out to her sister. She always felt in competition, and would never have won the contest against a baby that the couple shared. However, despite the horrendous circumstances, something good had come from the situation and everything felt pure.

"How can we do this? Pretend like the past months haven't happened? We've missed so much." Rachel worried, her fears being voiced as she knew there was no use trying to hide it. Eddie read her like a book, they had never been successful as keeping secrets from one another before and it was clear that nothing on that front had changed.

"We can do anything you feel comfortable with Rach. I don't care, I just need you." Eddie traces her cheekbone with his thumb, memorizing her features with his eyes to reacquainted himself with everything he loved so much about her.

"Phillip is going to be unbearable about this, I can't believe his plan worked." Rachel let herself laugh, falling into Eddie comfortably as she allowed herself into his space once more, finally feeling safe with his arms around her. Despite the day from hell with Max Tyler and the situation still ongoing, she felt carefree and truly happy.

"He's a smart kid, he deserves happiness. A family, finally. I'm glad you can give him that Rach, a mum who cares." He knew she wasn't his mum, but he and Phillip both knew that Rachel truly cared about the boy's wellbeing more than Melissa ever had.

"We give him that Eddie. Move in with me? Come home, the house hasn't been the same without you. We've missed so much time already." In the headspace on taking hold of life and running with it, Rachel decided to completely throw a spanner in the works and finally take claim on the life she had been wishing for in the previous weeks.

Eddie's mouth dropped open slightly. "Who are you and what have you done with Rachel Mason?" he asked incredulously. She laughed.

"We wasted so much time, Eddie… I wasted time. I was so afraid. And then I almost lost you… twice. I don't want to wait. I don't want to be afraid to live." She twisted her head to look up at him as his arm tightened around her waist.

"I agree," he murmured, lowering his head to brush a kiss against her lips. "But do you realise what you're getting into? Michael, he stays with me sometimes…"

"I have the room," she shrugged, "and it might be nice to have a child about the place sometimes."

He couldn't think of a single other reason to say no. "Okay then." He dipped his head again, kissing her more deeply this time. She smiled into it, resting her head on her hand, leant against the back of the seat once they'd broken apart.

"I missed you," she confessed in a whisper. Her other hand found his, their fingers entwining.

"I missed you too. There were so many times when I'd picked up the phone on autopilot, before remembering…"

"Me too. There was one night when…" she trailed off, biting her lip and he frowned.

"When what?"

"I came so close to calling you and asking you to come back, regardless of anything else," she admitted. "I had your number up on my phone. I was so close to saying forget Melissa, all the complications, that you'd been right and we could work it out somehow."

He looked concerned, automatically scanning her for injury. "Why, what had happened?"

She shrugged a shoulder, looking self-conscious. "It was the one-year anniversary of me leaving hospital. I'd had a clinic appointment to check the skin grafts, had been on the phone to the LEA arguing about the merger, found out about the new executive head. Amongst other things, it was just… a really bad day. And at the end of it I was lying in bed and all I could think about was how much I wished you were there."

He reached out to brush her hair from her face. "I'm going to be there now," he promised.

Rachel didn't doubt his words for a second, knew he was finally going to be able to live up to all of the promises he had been saying for the years in which they'd known each other. Only, this time would be better. This time she would be on board with everything, helping him every step of the way and tackling all of their problems together. No more backing out, no more being scared. Eddie was Rachel's future, and there was no longer any chance of a single thing coming in their way.

"How on earth do we get out of here?" Rachel looked around, noticing they were still in an empty bowling alley with only slow songs for company.

"More importantly, how did Phil pull this off?" Eddie questioned, genuinely baffled with how the lad had managed to get the place to himself while also getting them alone together with the romantic setting behind them. He also couldn't help but notice they were in the exact booth that they'd had their first kiss, something which sent a slight shiver down his spine.

"You don't think..." Rachel trailed off, looking at Eddie with her brow raised.

"Absolutely." Eddie confirmed, not needing words from her to know what she was thinking. "He's not done this alone." He let out a laugh, wondering just how many friends and students of Waterloo Road had helped him on his mission. However, part of Eddie was just grateful that Phil was finding his feet and finally enjoying school.

"Oh, I don't care. You're here. That's all that matters." Rachel confirmed, planting a final soft kiss to his lips before standing up and holding her hand out to him. "Let's get out of here, shall we? Decide how long Phillip is grounded for?" She smirked, grateful to be tucked into Eddie's side once more as they walked.

"Let's leave him, then he will have to deal with me constantly kissing you as punishment." He grinned mischievously, walking past the security guard and waving at him to open up. It was then that he spotted Michaela waiting in the office, a wide grin on her face as she looked at her teachers. He nudged Rachel and she followed his eyesight, letting out a laugh and waving at her student.

"How many more of you are in on this?" She called through, too happy to care about how many students were involved her personal life.

Michaela grinned. "More than you'd think!"

From behind her, Bolton popped up and waved. Rachel burst out laughing, shaking her head at them. "You're going to get them back, aren't you?" Eddie questioned in amusement, ducking his head to murmur it into her ear.

"Oh, and how," she smirked. The guard unlocked the door, and they thanked him before walking into the evening air hand in hand. From the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Danielle and Aleesha hastily duck behind a car, and chuckled. "I think the whole of year twelve might be in on this…"

Eddie looked amused. "Only at Waterloo Road…"

Something in his voice made her glance at him. "You don't like your new job?"

He was silent for a long moment. "It's not the same," he said evasively. She just looked at him, and he sighed, wrapping his arm around her. "It's too… simple," he admitted. "The kids come, they sit quietly, they leave. Do you know I haven't even had to give out a detention yet?"

"You should take Michaela with you one day. See what they make of her." she looked entertained at the thought.

"She'd eat them alive," he grinned. She smiled, leant into him.

"You know I'd hire you back in a heartbeat if I could," she told him wistfully. "I've missed having you as my deputy."

"Your new one not up to the job?"

"Chris tries. But he's less than five years qualified, and spent all of that time at John Fosters." She grimaced, and he had to suppress a chuckle.

"Culture shock?"

"Just a tad."

They'd reached the car park, and Rachel hesitated, having no wish to separate from Eddie so soon. He seemed to feel the same, because his arm tightened around her. "I'll bring you back to pick up your car later?" he suggested, and she nodded in relief.

"What's the plan then Mr Lawson? I don't want to say goodbye when I've just gotten you back." She asked, looking up at him while they stood at the passenger side of Eddie's car, neither wanted to part for the 2 seconds it would take to enter the car.

"I'm taking you out, the first date we should have always had. You look amazing, let me spoil you." Eddie glanced over Rachel's body and had to stop his tongue rolling in appreciation. She looked stunning, just as she always had, but it was her smile that made her so much more attractive to him and it hadn't left her face since their earlier conversation.

"I'll just text Phil and let him know." She would usually worry about how she looked or if they'd be seen, but she refused to allow anything to ruin this moment.

Phillip sat in the back of Bolton's friend's car, watching the two finally enter Eddie's car and begin the drive to wherever they decided. The smile that he saw on Rachel was the one he had been trying to put there for weeks, and he felt pretty smug that his plan had worked. His phone notified him of a text as Bolton climbed back into the car, and he turned to ask Phil what it said.

"Mason all sorted yeah? They looked happy." Bolton remembered the smile on his teachers faces and knew their job was done, all in a days work at Waterloo Road!

"Listen to this text! /Sort your own tea, this is your fault! Be home later.. maybe. Love you/. The cheek of it!" Phillip laughed, rolling his eyes as he suppose he deserved the cheek from his Aunt.

"She won't be home tonight mate, best get breakfast sorted too." Bolton laughed, doing completely crude and inappropriate gestures that had Phillip turning a deep shade of pink.

"I'll be getting home then lads, I can't thank you all enough." He said his goodbyes and started his walk home, feeling proud of himself and wanting to tell Ros all about it. He hoped that with Eddie back, Rachel would finally share what had been happening at Waterloo Road and share some of her troubles.

"We have so much to catch up on, how was your summer?" Eddie wanted to know everything he had missed, holding Rachel's hand over the dinner table so he didn't miss a second of contact with her. They had arrived at his favourite Italian place, one he had longed to bring her too and finally had the chance. The mood was romantic, the candles the only light in the entire place to really set the mood. Rachel looked truly breathtaking sat across from him, her thumb stroking over the back of his hand and making it hard for him to concentrate on anything he wanted to say.

"It was long, I didn't do much. I felt terrible, but I couldn't even face Phil most of the time. I just needed the distraction from work, but boy do I regret that now." She sighed, really not wanting to think about the school and how life would go back to normal the next day with her facing to face another day in fear of Max bloody Tyler. Especially now with Kim completely smitten with him, she felt more alone than ever in a place she usually felt so safe and in control.

Eddie frowned. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. This merger is… complicated." She waved a hand, forcing a smile.

"Phil's mentioned it a few times. This new executive head is causing problems?"

Rachel silently cursed her nephew, then Eddie for being so perceptive. "He hasn't appreciated having his school taken away from him, despite the technical promotion," she explained carefully, desperately trying to avoid having to explain Max Tyler to him without sounding slightly crazed. Eddie looked as if he were about to question her further, his eyes narrowing slightly so she hastily changed the subject. "What about you? How's Michael?"

As expected, his face lit up at the mention of his son. "He's great. He's going through an animal obsession at the moment. He loves the zoo."

She smiled warmly at the thought of the little boy she'd met only a few times. "That's sweet. I think it was cars the last time I saw him."

"Yes… and there was a period of aliens between that as well," he remembered with a grin.

"Aliens?"

"Toy story," he supplied dryly, and she nodded in amused understanding. They fell into silence, Eddie's thumb absently playing across her knuckles. "Rach?" he prompted when they'd been quiet for just a little too long. "Are you okay?"

She smiled as she raised her head to meet his eyes. "More than. I'm just… a little stunned. I was expecting a painful evening trying to pretend to Phillip that I was alright, and instead…"

"This," he finished, understanding written across his face. "If it's too fast for you…"

"No," she cut him off, shaking her head. "You'd never push me, Eddie, I know that. I want this. Very much."

Warmth blossomed within her when she saw the joyous smile that lit up his face. And she realised that for the first time in a while, she was completely relaxed, unconcerned with possible consequences or worries about the past. She squeezed his hand, deliberately letting him see the happiness and peace in her own expression.

They caught up on the mundane daily life activities they had been partaking in, with Rachel finding out the most she could about Eddie's new school. He wasn't the Deputy of his new school, having admitted that he wouldn't be able to work with another head that wasn't Rachel. Even pulling into a car park of a school that wasn't Waterloo Road was painful, never mind the punch to the stomach he got every day when he wasn't able to park next to Rachel's car.

"Shall we do something with Phil tomorrow? Approach the subject of you officially moving in? Maybe he can not bunk out of this plan seeing as he's starting to make a habit of it." Rachel laughed, knowing that Phillip would love nothing more than them all under the same roof again. She knew part of him plan was to see her happen again, but she also knew he didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted the family he had always longed for, the family he had always deserved.

"It always turned out so well when he does leave us alone though." Eddie commented, realizing he would forever be in debt to Phil and his meddling. "But that sounds good, where to now?" Figuring that Rachel was tired after her day, he had paid the bill despite her protests and was helping her put her coat on after helping her out of her seat.

"Let's go home." Rachel commented, thrilled to finally be able to say the words she had been so desperate to say in the past. They still needed to figure out the logistics of their relationship and living arrangements, but tonight, they just needed to be together.

Even while driving, Eddie found himself constantly reaching over to touch Rachel, interlinking their fingers or resting his hand on her knee, and silently he thanked himself that he'd bought an automatic car. Without talking about it, he drive to Rachel's, unsurprised to find the house in darkness. "No Phil," he commented.

"I imagine he's going to try and sneak in late," she said in amusement.

"Ooh, you have that tone of voice…" he realised, laughing as they climbed out of the car. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"And what tone would that be?"

"The 'I have an idea' tone."

She smirked. "Oh, I do. A little payback never hurt anyone."

Eddie glanced at her, but she was busy unlocking the door and didn't look at him. "Am I going to need to make myself scarce?"

"Nope. It'll be on Monday."

"Monday?"

But she didn't reply, busy slipping her jacket off and turning the lights on. "Drink?" she offered over her shoulder.

"Please."

She quickly poured out wine for them both, surprising him by curling up against him as soon as they were both sat in the living room. He wasn't about to argue, though, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her against him. Neither wanted the telly on, content with filling the silence themselves. Eddie told her more about Michael and what he'd been doing, Rachel described the new teachers at the school for him. It prompted a good-natured debate on some new policies that had come out, which descended into a heated make-out session when Rachel kissed him to stop him arguing his frankly absurd point.

That was what Phillip walked in on, immediately doing an about-turn back into the hallway. "This is going to be my life now, isn't is?" he sighed, but he couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across his face. He ducked into a kitchen, grabbed a drink and headed off to bed, happier than he'd been in a long time.

The next morning, it was like nothing had ever changed. They fell back into their weekend routine with ease. Rachel and Eddie took the opportunity to spend longer in bed, cuddled up and planning their together in each other's arms. When their stomachs finally pulled them out of bed, they found Phillip already on the couch and flipping through Saturday morning television.

"Morning Phil, I'll start breakfast if you set the table?" Rachel popped her head around the table and offered, which had Phil jumping to his feet in agreement. He knew Rachel would never let him set foot in her kitchen alone, so took any opportunity presented to him to help out. It wasn't long before they were sharing bagels and talking over mugs of tea, just as they had done most morning when they used to live together. Rachel looked around and had to swallow a lump in her throat, taking hold of Eddie's hand over the table and smiling at her family. Phillip noticed and ducked his head, feeling like he was interrupting a private moment of some kind. She knocked on his leg softly so they made eye contact, and she mouthed a thank you to him to attempt to convey just how grateful she truly was.

"What about the zoo?" Phillip suggested, tired of the lame places Eddie and Rachel were listing.

"Are you actually going to attend?" Eddie teased, earning him a crust in the middle of his forehead in retaliation.

"Don't pretend you don't love when I leave you two alone. But I've never been to the zoo!" He practically bounced in his seat like a child, and in that moment Rachel realized just how much he'd missed out on. Her heart went out to him as she longed to give him the childhood he deserved, but she knew from that moment on that she was going to make sure he didn't miss out on anything else.

"Let's get ready then! Cinderella, you shall go to the zoo!" Rachel commented, collecting the plates and hurrying them along so they could start their day. Eddie raced upstairs at her words but Phillip hung around, taking his mug to the sink to stand next to his Aunt.

"I've missed that smile." He commented, quickly kissing her on the cheek in an out of character display of affection. He wanted to show his gratitude to her, for everything she was doing for him.

"Me too Phil, thank you so much." She turned around to pull him into a hug, suds and all from her hands in the soapy bowl. Neither minded as they embraced, their heart's warm with the feeling of home and family. "By the way, you've taught me something. Life is too short, I want my family all around me. Me, you and Eddie all under the safe roof, constantly. How about it?"

His smile lit up his whole face. "You mean it?"

"I do," she smiled, touching his cheek softly. "I want you to stay permanently, and I asked Eddie to move in last night. As long as you're okay with it."

"Of course! I knew you were back together but I wasn't quite expecting…" he trailed off, blushing. She seemed to understand though.

"I know it's fast. But Eddie and I wasted so much time and we almost lost each other. And now we have a second… well, third chance. And we don't want to waste a moment of it."

He grinned at her. "I'm happy for you Rach. But… are you sure you want me to stay? Because I'd get it if you would rather be alone and it's not like mum can say no…"

"Phil," she interrupted gently. "I want you here. I like having you around! So does Eddie. Unless you want to, you're not going anywhere. And even then, I might just not let you," she added thoughtfully, grinning slightly.

The ring of the doorbell interrupted any reply he might have had, so with a grin affixed to his face he ran upstairs to get ready while Rachel went to the front door, looking curiously at the man she found stood there with a bunch of flowers. "Delivery for Rachel Mason?"

"That's me," she confirmed curiously. She signed the proffered paper and took the flowers inside, placing them on the side and plucking the card from them.

Love Eddie, x, it read simply. She bit her lip, smiling as emotions swirled within her and she gently traced a petal with her finger.

"Do you like them?"

She hadn't even heard him come back downstairs. "I love them." She crossed the room, stretching up to kiss him softly. "Thank you."

Halfway around the zoo, Rachel ordered them to stop on the grass for an ice cream. Phillip was having the time of his life, taking as many photos as he could as he looked around in amazement at the array of animals on display to him. Rachel and Eddie stuck to trailing behind with their fingers locked together, taking photos of their Phil when he asked and stopping for selfies when he demanded. Eddie sat next to Phil on the grass and took the opportunity to ask him about how Waterloo Road had been coping with him.

"So, the school. What's been happening?" Eddie asked, stretching out his legs and trying to make the most of the few rays of sunshine that had peeked through the October clouds.

"I really don't know Eddie. But Mr Tyler, there's just something I don't like. Rach won't tell me what's happening but he uses her office, he takes her assemblies and has meetings without her there. It's really weird." Eddie thought over what he said, immediately getting a bad feeling about this man. It didn't sound like his Rachel at all, she never took decisions in her school lying down.

"What about the new Deputy? Is he not helping her?" His heart broke at the fact that he wasn't there to help her, to deal with any trouble that came their way together.

"He's a bit wet, I can't imagine him putting up much of a fight. But I'll start investigating." Phillip promised, noticing Rachel coming towards them with their treats.

"Good plan, we need to look after her Phil. She's too special." Eddie admired her walking towards them as Phillip hummed his agreement, but he was much more focused on her smile as she approached them. She practically glowed with happiness, her mouth set in a constant grin as she handed them each their ice creams. She planted herself down next to Eddie, sitting as close to him as possible as she enjoyed the normality of being on a family outing with her favorite people. Chatting about what they were going to have for dinner, they were interrupted by Phillip's phone ringing. He checked the name and tried to hide his smile, spotting Ros' name and jumping up immediately.

"I'm just.. going to take this." He informed them before slinking off to a bench out of earshot and answering the call, leaving the couple smiling in amusement.

"Shall we head to yours on the way home? Start bringing your things over and getting Michael's room ready for next weekend?" Rachel couldn't deny how nervous she was about being reintroduced to Eddie's son, knowing just how confused he would be to be seeing the woman after so long apart. Michael had taken to her immediately when introduced, but Eddie had needed to explain why Rachel wasn't able to be around anymore.

Eddie beamed her at. "That sounds great."

She attempted to give him a smile, but he saw the flicker of nerves in his eyes and frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I just… what did you tell Michael?"

At that, he flushed slightly. "Honestly? I didn't tell him anything," he admitted. Now it was her turn to frown.

"Didn't he ask questions about Melissa and I?"

"He did. I always avoided them. If he asked where you were I just told him that you weren't coming on that particular day." He squirmed where he sat, knowing he probably should have been truthful with his son.

"Was he angry with me?" she asked quietly.

"No." he shook his head firmly. "A little confused, but he was never angry. He really likes you, Rach. More than he ever did your sister."

It didn't escape her notice that he seemed unable to say Melissa's name, but she decided not to mention it. "What about… what about the baby?" she couldn't help but ask. "Did you tell him?"

He sighed heavily. "I had told him he was going to have a baby brother or sister. I spoke to Allison a few days ago and she let me go over there to try and explain it to him. I'm not sure he grasped the concept."

"How on earth did that conversation go?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Along the lines of the baby has a different daddy, so he's not Michael's brother. Allison said she'd work with him as well." He rubbed the back of his neck, anger flashing through him at Melissa for causing yet another set of problems. "What his teacher must think I have no idea."

Rachel slid her hand over his, squeezing gently. "You're a great dad, Eddie."

For the first time, that comment didn't provoke pure joy from him. Rachel seemed to understand, saying nothing more as she leant against him and kept their fingers firmly entwined. It was some minutes later when a pink-cheeked Phillip finally returned, and they continued their walk around the zoo.

It wasn't until late Sunday evening that Rachel realised she had yet to collect her car from the bowling alley. They had been so focused on catching up on lost time that nothing else seemed to matter, and that included mundane tasks like remembering cars were essential for getting to work. Rachel finished putting away the dishes from the Sunday dinner that Eddie has generously cooked for them before joining them in the living room and falling down on the couch next to Eddie. She rolled her head onto his shoulder and let herself relax, but knowing she'd need to get back up again soon.

"Eddie, my car! I need to get it for work tomorrow." She hated thinking of how they'd need to spend an entire day apart tomorrow, and every school day that came after that.

"We could go out and get it. Or I could just take you to get it tomorrow on the way home. that is.. if you don't mind dropping me dropping you off at work in the morning?" She turned to face him, a smirk playing on her mouth as she slid her arms around his neck. "I'll even set an alarm for you." At that, Rachel truly let out a laugh. Throughout their entire relationship, Eddie had always relied on her to make sure he was up and ready for the day on time. He waited for her alarm to ring before dozing back off while she showered and only rising when she headed downstairs to start the coffee machine. However, times had changed and he vowed to make Rachel's life as easy as possible with him involved.

"Of course I don't mind you driving me, are you sure? You know how early I like to get up." She teased, grateful that he didn't want to hide their relationship from anyone. She knew she had been the reason in the past, the reason they had kept their relationship so quiet. But things were different now, she knew where her priorities lay and her top priorities were in the exact same room as her. They ok'd the situation with Phil and continued with their evening, Eddie entirely grateful he didn't have to move from his comfortable situation to go out and collect Rachel's car.

The drive to Waterloo Road was so familiar from Rachel's house, that Eddie felt like he was entirely fine with only half paying attention and leaning over to hold Rachel's hand the other half. He pulled into his regular spot, next to where Rachel's car should be and stopped to allow them both to leave. He wasn't there long before he started to gain the attention of previous students, most waving at him and then turning to their friends to whisper about who they had seen. Phillip made a hasty exit after spotting Ros, and Eddie turned to Rachel to say his goodbyes. They weren't as early as she had liked, but he couldn't resist pulling her back to bed for just a short while after they had woken up together.

"I'll be here to pick you up, I love you." He promised, leaning over the gear stick to kiss her quickly. She clearly had other ideas though, as she kept a hand on the back of his head and deepened the kiss slightly. Finally pulling away, her cheeks were tinted with a beautiful pink and she unclipped her seatbelt at long last.

"I love you Eddie, see you later." She gave him a sweet smile before collecting her bags from the back of the car and waving him off as he drove away. Turning to walk into the school, she noticed Kim and Max staring at her. Kim had a warm smile on her face, but Max looked positively furious.

"Good morning," she greeted airily, moving past them. Kim's jaw dropped.

"Oh no you don't!" she caught up with her, wrapping her hand around her arm to slow her down. "You can't just 'good morning' after that! What happened?"

"I don't know what you mean." Rachel kept walking, fighting to keep the smile off of her face.

"I mean, that was you and Eddie! I saw you Friday, still as depressed as could be and most definitely not together with him! What happened over the weekend?"

Rachel shot her a grin. "We made up."

"Obviously!"

They came to the stairs, and Kim finally released her to climb up but when they reached the top, they were waylaid before Rachel could turn into the office. "Rachel Mason!" Steph had her arms crossed, a wide grin on her face. "Was that you snogging Eddie Lawson in the carpark I just saw?"

Tom was behind her, his own smirk plastered on his face and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Do none of you have anything better to do than spy on the people arriving in the mornings?"

"Oi, don't turn this back on us!" Steph said indignantly. "Spill!"

"Eddie and I are together," Rachel confirmed, finally allowing her smile to break free. "Now can I get to work?"

"No! What happened?" Steph demanded. "What about Melissa and the baby?"

"Steph!" Tom hissed, jabbing her with his elbow as Rachel winced.

"The baby… isn't Eddie's," she said slowly. "And Melissa is no longer a part of the equation. And that's all I'm saying on the matter."

She escaped to her office, sighing in relief as she closed the door. She wouldn't have long before Max appeared, she knew, but for now it was a haven from the gossip she just knew was racing around the staffroom.

To her surprise, she had the office to herself right up until eleven. She powered through a pile of paperwork, dealt with a fight between two year sevens and managed to convince an irate parent not to file a complaint, all before breaktime. When the bell rang, she stood and stretched before she wandered downstairs in search of a snack. When she entered the canteen, however, she stopped and a smirk grew across her face.

A group of boisterous year twelves were sat spread across two tables, Phillip and Michaela amongst them. And the opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Rach, you coming up to the staffroom?" Kim called from her spot next to Max at the tills.

"Be there in a minute!"

She walked towards the group, attracting Bolton's attention. "Miss!" he hooted, "How was your weekend?"

Laughs and whistles broke out amongst the group as they all looked around at their headteacher, who just smiled amiably. "Oh, I'm sure Phillip has filled you all in," she replied pleasantly. For his part, her nephew had a look of dawning horror on his face as he rapidly paled.

"No, he's been annoyingly tight-lipped!" Aleesha scowled at the boy. Rachel glanced at him.

"Oh? He didn't tell you if your little plan had been successful or not?"

"No, I told them that!" Michaela volunteered with a cackle. Rachel simply smiled at her, humming.

"Just who was involved on Friday?" despite having her suspicions, her eyes still widened when almost every student there raised their hand. "All of you?"

"Even if it were just providing transport," Paul confirmed proudly. She blinked, a little stunned.

"Well, I'm impressed with your organisation," she admitted, "and the fact you did it without a fight breaking out."

"Miss!" Danielle finally lost patience. "You have to tell us! Are you and Mr Lawson together again? Like, properly?"

Rachel took pity on the students who were practically bouncing in their seats. "We are," she confirmed, laughing when they let out a huge cheer, whooping and whistling as they clapped.

"You know what this means, miss?" Aleesha smirked. She quirked an eyebrow at her in question. "You have to invite all of us to the wedding!"

Rachel rolled her eyes as the group laughed again, smiling herself. "Steady on!" she protested. "We've only just started… whatever it is you lot call it now!"

"Please, miss- the whole school knew you two were perfect for each other!" Danielle laughed. "It was obvious!"

"Was it now?" she shook her head in amusement. "Then I suppose I'd best be glad you all have such an interest in my love life!" this caused another outburst of laughter and excited chatter. "In all seriousness- thank you all. Because we certainly wouldn't have gotten there by ourselves." Now, the reaction was calmer as the kids all grinned and smiled. And Rachel was careful to keep the mischief out of her expression as she looked over at her nephew. "Or without you, Phillip."

"Oh no…" he looked alarmed as she began to come towards him. "Rach…?"

"After all, you're the one who schemed, lied to two adults, drew your friends into helping you…" she continued, looking thoughtful as she continued to circle the group and he looked more and more alarmed. "Manipulated both Eddie and I…" When she was close enough, she pounced, wrapping her arms around him from the back and planting the loudest, wettest kiss she could on his cheek.

"Rachel!" he looked mortified, squirming to break free as most of the canteen, who by now were all watching, fell about laughing.

"Told you I'd get you back," she murmured, grinning as she pecked his cheek again before straightening upright.

Walking out of the canteen, she felt accomplished and happier than she ever had. Phillip's face had been a picture, and completely worth it as she watched his friends surround him in jest on her way out. She headed back up to her office, mentally ticking off the tasks she had completed today and what still needed to be done. However, waiting at the top of the stairs for her was none other than Max Tyler.

"I think we need to talk, don't you Miss Mason?" He spoke in his usual patronizing manor, walking her to her own office without question as if she didn't know the way. Still, she followed him inside whilst rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, desperate not to let him ruin her mood.

"What can I do for you Max?" She asked, completely refusing to participate with his mind games when her head was in such a good place.

"How do you think the LA will react when they find out their head teacher is playing tonsil tennis with her ex-deputy in front of the entire school?" He asked, gloating in the fact he had caught Rachel out and could report her for something at long lost. He wanted rid of her, wanted the school to run his way and would not stand for anybody getting in between him and the power he so desired.

"Probably the same way they'll react to knowing you have a sex tape with your student teacher, who you then employed and brought with you to Waterloo Road. How is Helen by the way?" Rachel had been waiting to unleash the information on him, and had hoped it would come out in a more public manner. But with the new found information about Kim, Rachel had been determined not to hurt her in her path of trying to get Max out of her school. Max physically paled at her news, but she wasn't done yet. She walked around her desk and pulled out a copy of the tape she had received. "And this isn't the only copy. How will Kim react? How will your wife react Max?" She felt like dropping the mike, completely elated with the look on her face and wanting to take a picture of this momentous moment. She had done, she completely felt like she had won in taking down her worst enemy.

"This isn't over Mason." Max snatched the tape from her hand and stormed from the office, leaving her to take a deep breath and exhale what felt like an entire weight from her shoulders.

Max power walked his way through the school, slamming the doors as he went through each one and taking his anger out on any inanimate object that came in his way. However, he bumped into something that stopped him in his tracks, and he immediately turned to see who he had walked in to. His face soon changed when he realised he had crossed paths with none other than Phillip Ryan, who physically paled having walked into someone he definitely tried in vein to avoid.

"Just the person, get in there." Max practically threw him into the closest classroom that he knew to be empty, content with being able to take his anger out on the closest person that resembled Rachel Mason, someone he knew wouldn't speak up about their encounter either.

Oblivious to what was happening to her nephew, Rachel was signing yet more paperwork when her phone beeped with a text message. Unable to resist, she flicked it open, smiling when she saw it was from Eddie.

'I'll cook tonight- fancy anything? x'

She smiled to herself as she quickly typed a message back. 'Nothing in particular. Should I be worried for my kitchen? xo'

'bloody cheek! I'll be there at 5 x'

Rachel laughed softly to herself, placing her phone back in her bag as she turned back to her work. But she hadn't even managed to pick up her pen before a knock on the door sounded and Kim appeared. "I have those figures you asked for."

"Oh, great! Thanks Kim." She took the proffered file, flicking through it. "Any surprises?"

"Not really." She watched her for a long moment, long enough that the headteacher noticed and raised an eyebrow at her in silent question. "You look happy."

Her gaze instantly softened. "I am," she admitted. "More than I have been in a long time."

"I'm glad," Kim told her sincerely. "I was worried about you for a while."

Rachel shifted, biting her lip. "I don't think I even realised how bad I was," she confessed. "It was only when I had Phil and Eddie back home that it dawned on me how much worse I'd been feeling before."

"Speaking of Phil- is he living with you again?"

"He is. And I am aware I haven't done the paperwork yet," she pre-empted her next question, and Kim flushed.

"Sorry."

She waved her off. "I know I need to. I've just been a little busy. I will do it, scouts honour."

Kim grinned, but the ringing of the phone prevented her from speaking again and she bowed out as Rachel went to answer it, resisting the urge to groan when she heard the voice of the head governor on the other end.

Phillip held his side as he finally escaped the room he had been kept in with Mr Tyler, trying to take deep breaths and he caught his breath and calmed his nerves. Trying to defend Rachel had caused disastrous consequences for Phil, as Max seemed to entirely take his anger out on him. He knew he would never get away with going too far with Rachel, but being able to redistribute his anger to her nephew gave him the relief he so desperately needed. Phillip could already feel where the bruise would be forming, and felt completely conflicted with what to do. He knew he needed to tell Rachel, but she was just so happy and he didn't want to be the cause of any more heartache for her.

"Hey Phillip, everyone is talking about what you did for your Aunt!" Ros approached him, bumping into his side and making him cry out in pain. He physically paled and began to sweat through biting his lip so hard to prevent any more screams. "Oh my god, Phil. What happened?" She helped him lean against a wall and took hold of his face, worry etched on her face as she saw the pain behind his eyes.

"Tyler. He threw me against a table. And then he hit me." He admitted, knowing there was absolutely no point in lying to Ros. He needed her advice, once again choosing to lean on her for the support he needed.

"Right, let's go." Ros attempted to help him back up, but Phillip protested and used his body weight against her. He was beginning to feel better the more he rested, the pain subsiding the more he learnt against the wall.

"Go where? To tell Rachel? Only a few days after she's just started smiling? No way Ros, I'll deal with this on my own." His voice was determined, standing slightly taller than before as he held his side to stop the pain.

"He hurt you Phillip, look at you. I hate seeing you like this." She admitted, coughing quickly to diffuse the awkward situation she had started and avoiding his eye contact. She didn't know how to deal with certain situations, especially ones like this and the way her heart skipped a beat whenever Phillip was close.

"I've got this Ros, don't worry." Touched by her concern, he kissed her on the cheek quickly and heading off before she could do so much as respond.

Somehow, he avoided detection all throughout the day. He hid in the library at lunchtime and avoided the corridors during lesson changeover so he wasn't knocked into. When the final bell rang, he deliberately dawdled while packing up his bag, until the corridors had emptied somewhat and he could walk slowly towards the common room. He had plenty of time before Eddie managed to leave work and then drive several miles to pick them up, so he could move as slowly as he needed. He gingerly lowered himself down onto the sofa, wondering absently if he could make it to the nearest pharmacy and back before Eddie got there.

"Phil?" Ros's voice sounded behind him, and he glanced up in confusion. The school was pretty much empty now, and he'd thought he was alone.

"What are you doing here?"

"I bought you these…" she held out a packet of painkillers and a bottle of water. He stared at her.

"Ros, in case I forget to tell you again- you're bloody brilliant."

She flushed crimson as he took them, quickly gulping down three tablets. She looked alarmed. "Phil, the dose is two!"

"Don't care," he grunted, and sympathy washed over her face.

"Maybe you should see a doctor…"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine," he assured her, holding back the pain in his voice. "Once these kick in I'll be good to go."

She didn't look convinced. "But Phil…"

"Really, Ros. I'll be okay," he insisted. "Can you… can you just talk to me or something?"

She relented, beginning to talk him through the French homework they had. He didn't really listen, letting her voice wash over him as he attempted to ignore the pain shooting through him with every movement of his body. Which, since he was breathing, was often.

"Phillip! There you are, Eddie's waiting for us."

He jumped when his aunt appeared, biting his lip against the discomfort that caused. Ros immediately looked like a deer in the headlights, glancing anxiously between him and her headteacher, who was smiling kindly at her. "Hi Ros."

"Hi miss," she squeaked. Phillip gathered his things as quickly as he could, shouldering his bag with a muffled gasp as pain flashed across his expression. He glanced fretfully at his aunt, but thankfully she was still looking at Ros. "Would you like a lift somewhere, Ros?" she offered. "Mr Lawson won't mind."

"Oh, no thanks, that's okay…" the girl practically stammered. Rachel smiled at her.

"I don't bite, you know," she joked. "No need to be nervous."

She smiled weakly, falling into step beside Phillip as they walked out together. Rachel made an effort with her, asking her about her subjects and future plans and with topics she was comfortable with, she gradually relaxed enough to have a conversation with her. Phillip thought he might just have to buy her chocolates or something, because when she was concentrating on Ros, Rachel didn't notice his struggle to walk in a straight line.

The drive home didn't take too long, dropping Ros off first before Rachel got out to take back her own car and follow them behind. It felt completely normal, something that other families do on the regular and something that pleased Phillip no end. Him and Eddie stuck to mundane conversations about things such as their day and what they wanted to eat that evening, with Phillip leaving out the main event of course. They arrived home just before Rachel and carried her bags out of the car, with Phillip helping Eddie inside with the laptops they both needed to bring with them. Eddie put his load down before taking the bags from Phil and putting them down too, before slapping Phillip on the back. Phillip physically winced, just as Rachel came through the door unfortunately.

"Are you alright love?" She moved to his side immediately, taking hold of him and moving to face him. Phillip gulped before straightening up the best he could, shaking off the pain momentarily as he plastered a smile on his face.

"I'm fine Rach, just had a little accident in the busy corridors. You know what they're like." He played off his accident and mentally kicked himself for allowing himself to show how much pain he was truly in. He excused himself to go upstairs, knowing he needed to rid himself off his itchy school uniform in order to get through the rest of the evening.

Eddie turned to Rachel, unsettled by his reaction and his brows raised in confusion. "Now I know about the corridors, but they wouldn't do that." He knew they were busy during lesson changeover, but there should never be too much of an incident to where somebody was flinching through touch. "You don't think.." Eddie asked, wondering out loud as he followed his gaze upstairs to where Phillip had gone.

"Oh god, Eddie. He's being bullied isn't he? Someone has beat him up." Rachel put a hand to her mouth in shock, the color draining from her face as she realized what has been happening right under her nose. "I thought it had gotten better, I thought he had friends." Eddie took hold of her to calm her down, pulling her against his chest and kissing the top of her head.

"I'll go and see him, see what's really happening." Eddie promised, sending Rachel to the kitchen and leaving the men to talk as he called it. He bound up the stairs and stopped outside of Phil's room, knocking once before entering.

"Phil, mate. Are you okay?" He caught Phil in the middle of changing his shirt, and his eyes focused fully on the large bruise that occupied almost all of his left hand side. "Bloody hell, who's done this to you?" Eddie needed to sit down, and perched on Phillip's bed in order to steady himself. Someone had really got it out for the lad, and had took a really hard swipe at him in order to leave a mark of that size.

"Oh my god Phillip." Rachel entered the room too, too curious about the reaction she heard from Eddie and had followed him upstairs to investigate herself.

The boy had blushed crimson, hastily pulled his t-shirt over his head. "It's nothing," he assured them. "Just got knocked into…"

"Knocked into?" She exclaimed. "Phillip, that's not from a bang in the corridor! What happened?"

"Nothing! It's nothing."

"Mate, that really isn't nothing," Eddie frowned. "Can you breathe in okay?"

Phillip hesitated, and the two adults exchanged a look of dread. "You need to go to the hospital," Rachel told him firmly.

"No! No hospitals!"

"Honey, you could have broken ribs…"

"I'm fine!"

"Phillip." Rachel took him gently by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Listen to me. You need to go to A and E and be seen. This isn't a discussion."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Rach, honest. I don't want to go to hospital."

Torn, Rachel glanced at Eddie, who looked just as baffled as she felt. "What happened, Phil?" he questioned. "Who did that to you?"

"No one!"

Curiously, Eddie noted that Phillip glanced at Rachel when he said this, not him. His eyes narrowed. It was no secret that Rachel would put herself on the line for students- did Phillip believe she would take the side of another child over him? "Was it another student?" he probed.

"No!" this time, there was no glance.

"Someone else at school?" he guessed.

Phillip definitely glanced at his aunt before answering, "no."

Eddie puzzled over the reason Phillip would be worried about Rachel specifically finding out, but couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. Meanwhile, the colour had drained from Rachel's face, as she thought of the only other set of people who would have had prolonged access to her nephew. "A teacher?"

Phil shifted uncomfortably, opening his mouth to deny it. But his hesitation had already told them both everything. "Who?" she demanded.

"I… I…"

"Phillip!" she cupped his face, frantic. "Who hurt you?"

Phillip looked straight at his Aunt as a single tear slid down his face, knowing that he was about to tear her world apart so short after he had fixed it back together again. "Rach, it was Mr Tyler." He finally admitted, avoiding eye contact, ashamed to even be saying it out loud.

Rachel went as white as a sheet, her hands dropping from Phillip's face as she cupped her mouth. Afraid she may throw up, she stood quickly and backed herself up against the wall. Eddie came next to her immediately, holding her tightly incase she lost her footing and fell to the floor. He moved them both slowly over to where Phillip was perched on his bed, and pulled the boy towards him so his arms were around both of them. He was shaking with anger, wanting nothing more than to find out where Max lived and inflict the same pain on him. But currently, his family needed him more.

"We are going to sort this together, okay? As a family." Eddie promised, hoping that Rachel could be strong enough for Phillip as he would need her now as his mother. She was filling into Melissa's shoes, and this was the time in which Phil would need her most. She was completely bias due to her position in the school, but they needed to face this as any other parents would.

"Of course we are." Rachel straightened up, shaking her head and seemingly coming out of her funk as she did so. "You're right Eddie, of course we are. Phillip, you are so brave. You will need to tell us what happened." She felt her nephew flinch and fell down to his level, holding his hands between hers tightly. "Not now, not just yet. I'm going to clean you up and get you sorted. Then, we will sort it as a family, just like Eddie said. Let us look after you Phil, let us protect you. It's our job." Rachel felt this is exactly what she needed to fight Max Tyler, the anger and hatred towards someone who hurt one of the most important people to her. She knew whenever she looked at him, she would remember the mark on Phillip and be able to fight for him, to finally fight to herself. With Eddie by her side, they seemed unstoppable.

Rachel kissed Phillip's cheek quickly before heading to the bathroom, gathering the things she knew she would need to help him feel better. Eddie took a seat next to Phil and nudged their shoulders together.

"We are going to fight this Phillip, you won't ever have to see him again." Eddie promised, carefully putting his arm around the boy and pulling him towards him.

"I can't.. I can't tell her Eddie. The things he said about Rachel, I can't repeat them." Phillip knew what he he was dreading more than anything was telling Rachel what Max had said about her before got physically. In that moment, Eddie knew that Max Tyler's life was not worth living anymore, because if nothing came from this then he was a dead man walking.

"What did he say?" his tone was low and furious, but he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to reassure him that it wasn't him that he was angry with. But Phillip shook his head.

"I can't repeat it. I won't repeat it. But he threatened her Eddie- he said that if I told he'd make sure she was fired. Can he do that?"

"No," Eddie assured him instantly. He meant it too- Rachel hadn't done anything she could be fired over. Max, on the other hand…

Rachel re-entered, cutting off his train of thought, ice packs wrapped in tea-towels in one hand while balancing a couple of small boxes in the other. "Here- arnica cream and ibuprofen."

"I took paracetamol earlier…"

She waved him off. "You can take both. Can I apply this or do you want Eddie to?"

"I don't mind."

As gently as she could, she smeared the cream on before grabbing the ice-packs, helping him to lean against pillows and pin them against his body. "Do you need anything?" she asked softly, and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologise for," she touched his cheek gently, smiling at him. "None of this is your fault. Okay?"

He nodded, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead before rising and leaving the room, going straight to her own and collapsing on the bed. Eddie followed her in, sitting next to her and simply linking their fingers. "What a mess," she said, voice muffled in the duvet. He stroked a thumb comfortingly over her knuckles. "The state of him, Eddie…"

"I know. How he managed to walk around the entire day…" he trailed off, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.

"I knew he was quiet. But he usually is around Ros, the pair of them couldn't be more tongue-tied if they tried. I never dreamt that…"

"Why would you?" he comforted her. "School is supposed to be the one place they're safe. And teachers the people they're safe with."

"God." She brought her arm up to bury her face in the crook of her elbow. "This is going to get ugly."

"Who do you need to call?" he questioned, trying to stave off the panic and force her to concentrate.

She rolled over to face him, looking blank. "I… don't even know. God." She scrubbed a hand over her face. Then she took a deep breath, centring herself and forcing herself to think logically. "LEA. Inform them an accusation has been made. The governors will need to know… they're all going to want evidence, Phil needs to see a medical professional. And… and legally, Melissa needs to be told."

Eddie tensed up at her words, rolling back onto the bed and dramatically throwing his hands over his face. He never wanted to speak to her again, never mind give her a reason to come back into their lives.

"We can try. Just send a text, one she hopefully never replies to." He reaches out and pulled Rachel closer to him, letting her bury her head in his chest. "We need to be there for him Rach, he needs the support from his family." He knew Rachel was always terrified of Melissa fighting for custody and Phillip being forced to leave her once again, but they all knew Phil was at home with them and would never choose to leave.

"He'll get it, he'll get it from us. I have a few calls to make, why don't you go and ask our boy what he wants to eat? I think he could do with talking to someone, take his mind off it." Rachel reached for her phone and kissed Eddie gently, needing the support from him for the phone calls she was about to have. Eddie wandered back into Phil's room, aware he would need to prepare the lad for eventually going to the hospital for a checkup. At the very least because they needed the evidence for when this eventually came to a head.

"Do you feel up to eating mate? It'll make Rachel feel a lot better if you get some food down you." Once again, Eddie came to rest on the bed next to Phillip who looked like he hadn't moved since they left the room.

"I can't Eddie, I can't stomach anything." Feeling physically sick to his stomach, he couldn't think of food without wanting to throw up. But the thought of the pain it would cause if he was to throw up stopped him wanting to eat entirely.

"Look Phil, we are going to fight this and we are beside you every step of the way. But we need a few things from you." Phillip looked at him, scared of what may be the next thing that comes out of Eddie's mouth. "We need medical records mate, we need x-rays and doctors notes while it's all still fresh." Trying to approach the subject as easy as he could, Eddie knew he needed to make sure Phillip knew what was needed of him in order to make their case as strong as it could be.

"Thank you for believing me. And you know, still being here." Phillip shrugged, having been scared that telling the truth would cause his family to abandon him for being weak. But with the support from Eddie and Rachel, he didn't feel weak at all. He felt strong, he felt like they were strong together. "I'll go to the hospital, I'll do whatever Rachel needs me to do. But.. I'm so scared." He admitted, feeling as though he had regressed in age with the previous events. With his mum, he was forced to be an adult from such a young age and deal with adult problems. But living with Eddie and Rachel gave him the chance to be a kid again, a chance to live the life he had always wanted with a family. Telling them both about Max had been the most terrifying thing to him, but knowing how much they loved and supported him made him worry why he had kept it quiet for so long. He was protecting Rachel, but he finally realized how much she was protecting him. How much she was always protecting him, and he truly loved that feeling.

Eddie gripped his shoulder, sympathy flashing through him. "I know mate. But we're going to be there every step, and you're not good to have to see Tyler ever again."

"What if they don't believe me?"

"We're not going to give them a choice." Eddie gave him a reassuring look, silently reminding himself that tracking Max down himself wouldn't do any good. "I think you'll find that your aunt is very difficult to say no to."

Phillip snorted out a laugh, immediately wincing in pain. "She's amazing," he admitted.

"That she is," he agreed. "This is all going to be okay, you know."

Phillip nodded, but didn't look convinced.

By the time Rachel had finished her phone calls and they'd managed to get to the hospital, the painkillers had kicked in and Phillip was able to move around a little easier. That said, they were there for several hours with Phil being sent for X-rays and varying other tests, before enduring an exhausting interview with the police. As much as she wished she could follow Eddie's suggestion of simply texting Melissa, she had a duty of care and so while Phil was being photographed, she stepped outside and dialled her sister's number, unsurprised when it went to voicemail.

"Melissa, it's me. I'm calling as Phillip's headteacher- can you give me or the school a call when you get this? Don't panic, he's okay, but I do need to speak with you."

She hung up and sighed, leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

She jumped, not having heard Eddie approach. "Melissa isn't picking up," she explained shortly.

"And this is surprising?"

"Eddie." She shot him a look. "She's still his Mum."

He sighed, coming forward to slip his arm around her. "Sorry. I know."

"Is he okay?"

"The police are talking to him. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

He sounded half as if he were trying to comfort himself, and she reached up to caress his cheek, sending him a half-smile. He turned his head to kiss her palm, no words needed between them as they stood together and took silent comfort in the other.

"I'm not sending Phil to school until Max is gone," she said quietly.

"How long is it going to take?"

Her lips twitched. "Well, the LEA officer is his wife. And let's just say it's not an overly happy marriage. From what Chris said, they're pretty much separated but still living together."

"Hold on.." Eddie tried to piece together the information he was being given. "Wife? I thought he was with Kim."

"Oh, he is." Rachel confirmed, shaking her head slightly at the thought of what her friend was about to be going through. "He's also got a sex tape with his old PGCE student, who he happened to bring with him in the merger." She admitted, shaking her head in disbelief as she heard the words from her mouth. The levels this man had sunk to were astounding to her, but this way a level she didn't even know her was capable of.

"He won't get away with this Rach, I promise you." Eddie pulled her closer to him, disgusted with what Rachel had been dealing with at work without him. He couldn't help but think about how this situation would not have occurred if he was still at Waterloo Road, and found himself once again cursing Melissa for everything she had done to his family.

Rachel sagged against him, closing her arms around him and holding him close to her as she took deep breaths against his chest. "Thank god you're here Eddie." She admitted truthfully, needing the support and shoulder to cry on as she dealt with a situation as hard as this. If this was any other pupil of her school, she would be able to remain impartial and face Max as the head teacher of Waterloo Road. However, this was Phillip. He was one of the most important people in her life and she couldn't stand the thought of him being in pain at the hands of someone whose soul purpose should be to protect his health and well-being.

"I'm always going to be here, for both of you. And I feel like this is all my fault." The guilt of the previous weeks was eating away at him, knowing that Rachel would have been fine facing the likes of Max Tyler if he had been by her side as he should be.

Rachel lifted her head and cupped his head in her hands, lowering her lips to him and kissing him slowly. "This isn't anyone's fault, please don't think that.."

"Excuse me, Mr and Mrs Lawson. Phillip is asking for you." They were interrupted by a police officer, which was a sign that the interview with Phillip had finished. Rachel was in that much of a hurry to get to him that she didn't stop to correct the officer on his mistake, but Eddie couldn't help but smile.

He leant against the wall by the door, watching as Rachel checked on her nephew, who seemed relieved to have them back in the room. She sat on the edge of the bed, talking quietly to the boy who seemed more comfortable with extra-strength painkillers in him.

Eddie ducked back out, hunting down a nurse to ask about when they could take him home- he apparently had good timing, because she was just signing the paperwork and within no time at all they were headed out, Phillip half asleep in the back of the car. "Did the police say anything to you?" Rachel murmured, glancing at the boy to see if he'd heard. Eddie shook his head.

"Nothing. Think that's good or bad?"

She ran her hands through her hair, a stressed look flashing across her face. "God knows. I don't know… under normal circumstances, any other teacher and I would have the power to suspend him instantly. But Max… his appointment was so fast, a hasty reparation for closing his school with so little warning. The protocols just aren't in place."

"And I imagine that will be an investigation in itself," he commented mildly.

"He must have done it before," she muttered, half to herself. "Maybe not to this extent, but he must have. No one just… snaps. Not like this."

"And what did he do to them to make them keep quiet?" he mused. "He threatened you to try and stop Phillip, but they can't all have had relatives at their school."

"Could be anything. Expulsion, bad references, even altered grades. He has a lot of power."

"Had," he said firmly. "He had a lot of power."

She nodded, conceding his point. They continued to drive, and she leant her head back against the seat and stared out of the window, still feeling as if someone had punched her. "Melissa wouldn't have noticed…" she murmured.

"Hm?"

"Mel. She wouldn't have noticed." She turned her head to look at him, feeling as if she were almost betraying her sister by speaking the words aloud. "If Phil were still with her… he'd have kept quiet. No one would have known. Max would have gotten away with it."

His hand came across to grasp hers. "But he hasn't," he reminded her. "And Phil is with us, safe and sound."

"I like the sound of that. Us," she told him tiredly. He shot her a grin through the darkness, illuminated only by the street lamps they were whizzing past.

"Me too."

After getting back late and trying to calm themselves down with mugs of tea and chocolate biscuits, each member of the household went to bed for one of the most restless nights sleep to have ever existed. Phillip too scared to sleep with fear of reliving his day and having to once again see the look on Max Tyler's face as his hands made contact with his skin. He also worried for Rachel having to deal with the fallout the next day and what Max may do to her and the career she's worked so hard for.

Eddie was having troubles sleeping himself, and while holding Rachel in his arms as they both pretended to sleep, he decided to not let her deal with this alone. He would be by her side the entire day, waiting outside meetings and attending as a guardian of Phillip to speak on his behalf. There was no way he would allow Rachel to live in fear for a second longer, not if he could held it.

Rachel simply worried about everything. She worried about her career, about facing Max, about telling Kim everything that had happened. She worried about Melissa finally getting in contact, what that meant for her family and the mental state of Phillip. But as Eddie pulled her closer to him and kissed her shoulder, she knew that the worries didn't really matter. She could face Max, face Kim. Her and Eddie would deal with whatever happened career wise, and the same with Melissa. They were unbreakable with the truth finally out there, and she had never felt safer than when under the same roof as her favourite people.

The next morning, Rachel left Phillip to sleep and quietly moved around the house as she got ready. She aimed to get there as early as possible to speak to Kim, before any meetings took place or Max found out about the investigation. Kim deserved the truth, and Rachel knew it would be best coming from her. As she stood in the mirror applying her make up, Eddie came behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. He kissed her cheek softly and made eye contact with her in the mirror.

"I've just called work and told them I've had a family emergency. I'm coming to Waterloo Road with you to help you face this." He saw her about to protest and shook his head slowly, stopping her in her tracks before she could speak. "No, Rach, listen. Phillip needs someone there fighting his corner, you know you can't do it being headteacher at the same time. I want to support you both. I want to look that absolute arse in the face and watch him crumble for what he's done to you both. Let me protect you."

"I don't need you protect me, Eddie."

He snorted softly. "Trust me, I'm aware of that. But you don't have to fight alone anymore either."

She sighed and ducked her head, leaning back into him slightly. "I know. I just…"

"Don't like letting people in. I'm aware of that too," he commented dryly, earning an elbow in the ribs. He pressed a kiss to her hair, tightening his arms around her. "I mean it, Rach. We're in this together. Job title or not, I'm always going to be your deputy."

Now she laughed, reaching back to cup his face for a brief moment. "I've missed you." Affection coloured her tone, and she twisted to kiss him, lingering for a long moment before meeting his broad grin with one of her own. "Now let me finish getting ready."

An hour later, she'd finally managed to drag Phillip out of bed and into the car, sympathetic when she saw how stiffly he was moving. He spent the entire drive dozing in the back, much to her and Eddie's amusement and when they finally arrived at school, he headed straight to the common room with the intention of falling asleep on the sofa. "Ah, the life of a teenager," Eddie sighed exaggeratedly, inserting a wistful note into his voice. Rachel shook her head.

"Oh no. I do not miss the days when I thought my friend liking the same boy as me was the end of the world."

"Ooh, and which boy did you like, Miss Mason?" he teased, wrapping an arm around her as they walked the familiar corridors. She tossed him a grin.

"You will never know."

She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, glancing up them and then down the corridor. She'd seen Kim's car in the car park, knew that she'd arrived already. "I need to talk to Kim. And I'm not sure she'll appreciate you being there…"

"I'll wait in your office." He brushed a kiss over her lips, took her bag and disappeared. Not for the first time, she gave a silent thanks that he was so understanding.

Kim was in her office, head bent over her desk and Rachel knocked once before quickly entering, stomach twisting uncomfortably. "And I thought I was the only one crazy enough to be here this early!" she joked. But Rachel didn't smile. "What's wrong?"

"Kim… I need to tell you something, and you're not going to like it," she began tentatively, sitting in one of the chairs. Kim looked puzzled, placing her pen slowly down on the desk.

"Okay…?"

"And for what it's worth, I'm sorry that this is going to hurt you."

Her eyes widened. "Now you're beginning to scare me. What's happened?"

"Phillip was beaten up here at school yesterday. He didn't say anything until Eddie accidently saw the bruises last night. We were up in A and E for hours, they eventually diagnosed cracked ribs alongside the bruising."

"That's awful!" Kim looked horrified. "Which of the kids did it? I'll pull them from registration-,"

"It wasn't one of the kids," Rachel cut her off. Kim looked confused.

"Then who-?"

"Max," she said quickly. Kim looked baffled for a long moment.

"Max?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Kim."

"I don't understand." She looked as if she wanted to laugh, but was too incredulous to do so. "I know the two of you don't get along, but you can't honestly believe he'd beat up a child?"

"I do believe him. Apparently, Max threatened me in an effort to keep Phil quiet about it. It took a lot to get him to tell us what had happened."

Kim's jaw was practically on the ground. "But… Rachel, he couldn't have… I mean, he wouldn't… Phillip must be lying."

Rachel's eyes narrowed, instinctively wanting to jump to the defence of her nephew. But Kim was hurting, and in love and she was still her boss, she reminded herself and deliberately kept her tone calm. "I don't believe that he is. Regardless, there are protocols that need to be followed when an accusation such as this is made, and I put them into motion last night."

"Protocols? You mean…?"

"There will be an investigation. Max will likely be suspended pending the outcome."

Kim looked numb. "Does he know?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "He's not one of my staff members so I'm not in the loop." When Kim didn't say anything, Rachel shifted, leaning forward and dropping the slightly reserved façade she'd been using. "Are you okay?"

"I… don't know. Rach, do you really believe Phillip?"

She nodded slowly. "I do. And not just because I'm his aunt. He was so scared, Kim. He isn't lying, I'd stake my life on it."

"Oh God…" she covered her face with her hands, slumping onto the desk. "I… I need to be alone."

Rachel inclined her head, rising and crossing to the door. But she hesitated before leaving, glancing back at the distraught woman. "I'm here if you need me," she said softly, before quickly pulling the door open and disappearing down the corridor.

She entered the office, grateful to see Eddie there and practically fell into his arms. She held him tight around the middle and buried her face into his chest, needing the safety and support that he provided.

"It didn't go well then?" Eddie asked carefully, walking them both over to her couch so they could sit down and not be in the eyeline of the receptionist. He'd already received multiple questioning looks from her, and he couldn't help but miss Joyce.

"She's heartbroken, kept asking if Phillip was lying but she was so desperate to believe he was." Rachel understood where Kim was coming from entirely, but knew she needed to stand her ground as both Aunt and headteacher.

"Rachel, what's happening? Kim's crying and Max isn't here yet." Chris burst through the door, confusion etched across his face at the morning's events already. He knew Waterloo Road was different compared to John Fosters, but this was on another level.

Eddie let go of Rachel and allowed her the space she would need to have the required conversation as the head of the school. "I'm going to go and find Phil, I'll be back." He promised, kissing her cheek and squeezing her arm lovingly before leaving her to explain the situation on her own.

"Chris, you had better take a seat." Rachel offered, filling up two mugs of coffee for them and following him to her desk. She explained as best she could while trying to remain impartial, informing Chris of the tape she had found as well as the information on Phillip. She rung her hands together as she went into detail on what Max had done to him, trying once again not show emotion in order to stay on top of the situation.

"Are you sure you can deal with this as head and a member of the family?" Chris has been filled in on Rachel's situation by Steph during a lunch time full of gossip, but had only half listened due to knowing how much Steph liked to exaggerate.

"Eddie will be there to represent Phillip if he isn't there himself, we've got it covered. No matter where I'm sat in that room, he won't get away with this." Chris' heart sank slightly at Rachel's words, even though he had heard the rumours and seen the couple, part of him still didn't want to believe it. He had found Rachel attractive from the moment they had met, and part of him wished he had been there to comfort the woman instead. But nobody could deny how happy she had been in the recent weeks, and that's all he had truly wanted for her.

"They've called a meeting." Rachel looked up to the door and found Kim there, shaking slightly but trying to keep her emotions under control. "He's here, I've seen him. I'm sorry I doubted you, and Phillip." She admitted, and Rachel stood up to embrace her friend to try and help her in any way she could. "No, I'm fine. I'm fine, I just.. I really needed to believe him. Today of all days, I needed him to tell me the truth." Kim rested a hand on her stomach and Rachel followed her movement, her own eyes widening as she realised what Kim was saying. She didn't ask for confirmation, didn't want to have that conversation in front of Chris.

"You're not alone Kim, I'm here for you." Rachel promised, taking hold of Kim's hand and squeezing it to show her support. "Where's the meeting?" She hoped that Phillip hadn't had to face Max without her by his side, but knew Eddie would do anything he could to protect him.

"It's in the conference room, I can't.. I need to stay here. Do you mind?" Rachel shook her head, moving from the door of her office to allow Kim inside. "Stay here, get off home. Whatever you need Kim. I won't let him get away with this."

The woman nodded bleakly, and Rachel grabbed the file that sat on her desk and found herself striding through the corridors that were just beginning to hum with the start of a new day. A scattering of students, not as many as there would be in a mere fifteen minutes. A few teachers who would- thankfully- hold the fort until this was all over.

She held her head high, politely greeting everyone she passed until she came across Eddie and Phillip sat in the corridor. Eddie looked up as she approached, met her eyes, saw the resolve and determination in hers. There she is, he thought to himself. The woman he'd met all that time ago when they'd first been introduced, all fire and tenacity mixed with someone who cared more about her students than anyone he'd ever met.

He'd been privileged when she'd allowed him to see behind the façade, had understood that not many people had ever met the person behind the headmistress. And he'd had to watch as knock by knock, all that passion and fierceness was dampened and washed away (he'd had a bit to do with that, he thought guilty, between his reaction to the Stuart Hordley business, then his actions with Melissa and everything that had come of it). And every time it had begun to return, when that old Rachel had begun to re-emerge, it seemed as if something else came along to knock her off kilter.

But now, it seemed something had had the opposite effect as she bent slightly to Phillip's level, shooting him a reassuring look. "You won't have to face him," she promised. "Not today, at least. But the governors and the LEA may want to talk to you. You don't have to, you can refuse."

"But it would look better if I did," he concluded. She inclined her head.

"It would. You still don't have to."

He nodded, chewing on his lip as Eddie squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, glancing up at her. She smiled at him, cold rage burning in her eyes as she took a deep breath and headed along the corridor and into the conference room. Max was sat stiffly at the table, the creased look around his eyes giving away his feelings despite the expression of forced calm on his face. Rachel ignored him, looking around the room. Three of the governors were there, talking quietly to Jennifer, whom she assumed was representing the LEA. Chris was sat in the corner, still looking slightly befuddled by everything but he shot her a supportive look when she walked in, and for that she was grateful.

Max denied everything, which was completely expected. But Jennifer wasn't letting him get away with anything, and Rachel knew he was fighting a losing battle as she hadn't even mentioned the tape with Helen yet. However, the governors were taking quite a bit of convincing and weren't taking Rachel's word for it.

"Miss Mason, without the voice of the student involved we won't be able to go much further." They admitted, and Rachel knew that Phillip would be ready if needed. But she was determined not to bring him in until completely necessary.

"Of course, he's waiting to come to speak to the room. However, it won't be for long and he will need the support of family with him as he's simply too scared to face Max Tyler." She threw a cold look in his direction and caught the smug look on his face, making her immediately look down and take deep breaths. He wanted her to look impartial, wanting her to give an emotional speech after taking on her family. But Rachel was better than that, she knew how to fight these things and was finally learning to deal with people in her life like him.

"Phillip will be joined by Eddie Lawson. Phil trusts him and we completely support his decision." Chris spoke up, taking on the decision to tell the room so Rachel didn't have to. He left the room to let them in, and Rachel was grateful. She looked up to offer her boys a smile, but was shocked to see Kim enter with them also.

"I want to be here, I have a few things I'd like to say too- if you don't mind." She addressed the governors and Jennifer, who agreed and allowed her to take a seat. Max's colour drained from his face, finally thinking about the consequences to his actions as both his wife and girlfriend were finally sat opposite him. Phillip refused to look in his direction, and stayed focused on Rachel and Eddie instead. His Aunt offered him a warm smile of encouragement, and Eddie sat close enough to put his arm around the back of his chair in order to remain close to him.

"Phillip, we'd like to hear your version of events in your own time." A governor addressed him, and Phillip swallowed before clearing his throat and repeating the story in the same way he had done to Eddie and Rachel. Rachel longed to lunge across the table and do two things, and she wasn't sure it what order. As she sat and listened to his encounter again, she ached to pull him into his arms and never let go. She also wanted nothing more than to launch over the table and knock max straight onto the floor, making sure to hit his head hard while doing so.

"I don't want to press chargers." Phillip finally finished and his closing statement made every adult in the room look at him in shock. He nodded his confirmation before continuing. "I want to never see him again. I want my Aunt to never see him again. If you can promise that, I won't press chargers." Rachel's heart swelled with pride, and her eyes filled with tears. She locked eyes with Eddie and he threw her a grin, the same sense of pride shining on their faces at they then looked at Phillip in awe.

"Sorry, just before this finishes. I can't really follow what Phillip has said, and I just want to say Phil I'm so proud of you." Kim leant over the table and lay her hand over his for a moment before locking eyes with Max. "You have used me, you made me fall in love with you to get what you wanted. I turned a blind eye to what was happening with Rachel which I cannot forgive myself for, but not with Phillip. I care more about these students than anything, it's my job. I am done with you Max Tyler, and so is this school." Rachel felt like giving her a round of applause, so proud of herself for giving him the speech she so desperately needed to give in order to move on. Chris clapped his hands a few times, before being looked at by the governors and quickly stopping.

"Don't worry Kim, it wasn't just you. Jennifer, I'm sorry to do this too. But on this disk is a tape made by Max of him performing sexual acts with his student teacher at John Foster. He then employed her at Waterloo Road without telling of this relationship and blackmailing her to keep quiet."

As expected, that was the final nail in Max's coffin. Kim fled the room almost immediately after the final decision- Chris hesitated for a moment before mumbling about going to check on her, and striding off after her. Eddie quickly ushered Phillip from the room, standing between him and Max to block him from view. And Rachel played the perfect headteacher, commiserating with the governors and perfectly solemn when speaking with Jennifer. None of them noticed her send a quick message to security.

Max Tyler being forcibly escorted from the school by the guards was a memory she would treasure for a long time.

It would be one for Phillip and Eddie too, judging by the looks of glee on their faces when she looked at them across the corridor. Ros was next to them, beaming. Rachel was curious to note that the rest of the students were either just as happy, or curious. None of them seemed particularly upset, however, and she even spotted Bolton doing a little dance on the spot, shooting Phillip a broad grin. She shook her head slightly, amused as she walked over to Eddie and Phil, brushing the back of her hand against Eddie's. "Are you alright, Phillip?"

He nodded slowly. "There's no chance of him coming back, right?"

"Definitely not." She thought of the looks on the faces of those she'd left back in the conference room, and was fairly certain Max Tyler would never work around children again, even without the criminal record. Ros was glancing between the three of them, hovering uncertainly.

"Why don't you two get to class? I think lessons might do you good, Phil," she suggested and he nodded his agreement, but hesitated for a brief moment before walking away.

"Thanks," he blurted out, "for… you know. Just thanks."

She smiled gently at him, cupping his cheek for a brief moment. "Not necessary. Off you go- come and find us if you need us."

The pair scampered off together, and seconds later the bell rang, prompting the mass movement of the students lingering in the hallway. It was painfully familiar for her and Eddie to fall into step together, dodging the crowds on the way to her office. "Are you staying?" she asked quietly.

"If you want me to."

"I do." She shot him a tentative smile. "The fallout from this is going to be… extreme. Especially when the parents hear. Especially John Fosters' parents." She made a face. "I'd… appreciate you being here."

He caught her hand in his, uncaring of the students surrounding them. "Then I will be," he said simply, and her smile was blinding.

After an unexpected calm day with much less phone calls than anticipated, Rachel was ready to get home and crawl into bed. She felt emotionally exhausted and needed to order a pizza and not move until the next morning. As Eddie stood in her office and helped her file some needed paperwork, she couldn't help but grin at how amazing it felt to have him back by her side. Not only in her personal life, but professionally too. They worked well as a team, so in sync and on the same side with every decision that needed to be made. They were interrupted by another member of the LEA walking in, followed by Chris and Kim. Eddie left them to it and continued with the filing as they had their meeting around the table, knowing he would be asked to leave if necessary.

"We've decided not to look for another executive head, but instead are opening a position to manage to merger between John Foster and Waterloo Road. It'll need to filled as soon as possible but we think as a team it's the best way to go about it. We feel the Waterloo Road senior leadership team do not need the extra member of staff at this moment in time." Rachel puffed her cheeks up in exasperation, knowing that they ideally needed somebody who knew both schools.

"Ruby? We could ask her?" She threw her ideas out there, but didn't want to fall into the same trap she had been in before.

"Let me apply for it." All heads turned to Chris, even Eddie stopped what he was doing and looked at him in shock.

"Chris, you're the Deputy. You can't apply for a position which takes you down a pay grade." Rachel offered, completely confused with why he was suggesting taking on two roles when he had barely started his one as deputy head.

"I won't be applying for two roles, I can't do this. Rachel, I've tried. But I'm not ready to be a deputy yet, and no offense- especially not at Waterloo Road. I'm struggling." He admitted, and Kim put a hand on his shoulder to show him that he had her support. "I know the John Foster kids, I can keep on top with how they're getting on here. I hate feeling like I'm failing my job." He had always wanted to succeed at something, wanted to work with a passion behind him. He had that at John Fosters and knew he could have it here, under the right position. Being offered the deputy headship had boosted his ego no doubt, but everyone around him could see he was failing and it took the situation with Max to prove that to him.

"The thing is Chris, we'd rather the school be without an executive than a deputy. How could we possibly fill that position if we were to honour your suggestion?" The member of the LEA scratched the back of his head, a sure sign that he was trying to think of a conclusion.

"Imagine if there was a previous member of staff, with previous deputy head experience, who hated his job and would love to come back here." Kim offered, her eyes focused on Eddie who was staying very still with his back to the group. He had of course wanted to suggest it himself, but didn't know how Rachel would react to him being back in the school with her.

"Well, that would be great. But, who?" The member of staff asked, completely baffled by the situation he was being presented with but had no idea who it could be about.

"Eddie, how about it?" Rachel asked, still reeling from the previous events and wondering how a situation she was stuck in that she hated so much and dreading even driving her car to work was turning out to be so great and truly everything she had ever wanted.

He looked at her uncertainly, unwilling to say either way until he knew what it was that she wanted. His eyes met hers, read the hope and excitement in them. She wanted him here, he realised, beginning to grin. Maybe, just maybe, despite everything, they were going to get everything they'd wanted.

"Well, I suppose we already know we work well together," he quipped, and a bright smile spread across her face. Kim bounced on her toes, hands pressed together as Rachel looked back to the LEA representative.

"I'll hire Eddie back. Problem solved. Provided, of course, that the LEA has no objections to a headteacher and her deputy being in a relationship."

She had to suppress a smirk as the man spluttered and went bright pink. Kim was shaking in silent laughter, stepping behind Chris to hide her face as Rachel kept a carefully blank, expectant expression on hers. "I don't, ah… I don't believe that as long as- all parties were to remain… professional… there, ah, wouldn't be an issue…"

"Excellent." Rachel's tone was the epitome of business-like, but behind her back, her hand was gripping Eddie's tightly. "In which case, I'll get started on the paperwork."

"Let me walk you out," Chris volunteered, and he left with the representative, finally allowing a near-tears Kim to collapse onto the sofa in laughter.

"Did you see his face?" she gasped out. "What a way to announce yourselves!"

Rachel grinned, turning back to look at Eddie. "I hope you didn't mind, but-,"

"Mind?" he interrupted, chuckling himself. "Did you see that? It was brilliant!"

She rolled her eyes, but allowed him to wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. "You realise we're never going to hear the end of this from a certain group of kids?" she checked, amusement running through her voice.

"Eh, just threaten them with detention."

"Eddie!"

Kim was laughing at them, rising to her feet. "I need to go, my kids are probably running riot. You two stay out of trouble." She disappeared, and Rachel turned in Eddie's arms to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Well, Lawson, looks like you're going to be stuck with us again."

They took Phillip home not long after and explained the situation to him. He was ecstatic about having Eddie with him at school too, wanting everything to go back exactly the way they had been before his mother reappeared. She had tried to contact him about the Max situation, but after sending a text to say he was fine, he didn't hear anymore. Not that he expected to, but hearing from her made him think of something he wanted to bring up with Rachel and Eddie. As they shared dinner around the table, he decided it was the perfect opportunity to voice his ideas and get their opinions.

"So.. today made me think of something." He decided to dive straight in head first, and both adults put down their cutlery to give him their full attention. "In the meeting, I knew that mum could have walked in at any point if she wanted. Because, you know, she's still my mum." Rachel and Eddie nodded along as they listened, both no idea where he was going with his words but not wanting to rush him with what he wanted to say. "The thing is, I don't want her there. Not now, not ever. And it makes me nervous that she still has that power over me when I never see her." Rachel took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze, offering her full support.

"I know Phil but, she's your mum. I don't want her turning up again but I don't see what other option she has, you choose to live here and I completely support your decision. I'd fight her wholeheartedly if she ever tried to move you again." She promised, wanting Phillip to know how much she loved having him with her and how much she would always support him.

"I know that Rach, but I don't want it to ever come to that. So I don't know how this would work, or if it's possible. But.. basically. I want you to adopt me. Both of you, so any decisions I can make myself or with you. If you want that, that is." He added quickly, staring at his half empty plate as he daren't meet the gaze of either adult in the room. Eddie looked at Rachel and offered her a smile, letting her take the stage on this but letting her know he would support her decision entirely.

"Phil, I don't really know what to say. I don't know if it's possible, especially as me and Eddie aren't married and your mum is, you know, still alive. But I can speak to Kim. If that's what you want, and you're sure, I would have absolutely no objection to adopting you and making things official." Finally looking up, he noticed that his Aunt's eyes shone the same tears that his did and it didn't take long before she was on her feet and pulling him into a hug. He breathed a sigh on relief against her chest, feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Since last year, you've been my real parent. You and Eddie have cared for me far more than she ever has." He admitted, no longer upset at the thought of his mother and how low down he fell on her list of priorities.

"We've got you mate, always. We will sort something out, we won't let you down." Eddie joined them and lay a hand on his shoulder, his face full of promises as Phillip returned a grateful smile. Rachel made a mental tick list for what needed doing, starting with informing the staff of the situation tomorrow. She hadn't the time to tell them what had happened, and she could only dread to think about the rumours they had come up with after watching Max escorted off premises. After that she could talk to Kim about Phillip's suggestion before chasing up the paperwork on how Eddie's reinstatement was progressing. It would be pretty smooth sailing as every party was in agreement, but she wanted him there officially as soon as possible. Luckily, he hadn't been at his new job long enough to be required to work a notice, so that was a done deal already. She held onto Phillip and rested her head against Eddie's chest, truly content to be back on her A game at school and living the life she had always wanted at home.

The next day, Eddie did actually have to go into work and so Rachel strode into the school alone, catching up with Kim on the way to the staffroom the next morning. "I need to ask you something. Well, actually a lot, but this is more pressing. It's about Melissa and Phillip."

"What's wrong?"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of her to officially inform her what happened. She's not picking up and hasn't been answering messages."

Kim looked concerned. "Are you concerned about her?"

"Mel? God no," Rachel snorted. Kim looked confused. "Look, Kim I don't doubt that she's okay, outside of having a newborn. I'm concerned with the legal implications. Phil's living with me, but she has parental responsibility. For the moment, anyway," she mumbled, joy flooding through her when she remembered her nephew's tentative request the day before.

"For the moment?" Kim pounced on the phrase, and Rachel shrugged with a shy smile, before explaining what Phillip had asked. Kim looked thoughtful.

"Adoption will be tricky. Melissa would have to sign away her parental rights and if she refused, you'd have to go to court and theoretically, if you lost the judge could order Phillip to return to Melissa's home."

"What?" Rachel looked alarmed, coming to a stop in the middle of the corridor. "He's sixteen! He can choose where he lives!"

"Yes, but he's legally a minor. The judge could order it. Could."

Rachel groaned, running a hand through her hair. "We can't risk it. Phil is so angry with Melissa, if he had to return… it would be bad, Kim. Really bad."

"He already lives with you, technically you're a kinship guardian. Do you have to change that?"

Rachel sighed. "Phil doesn't want Melissa to have legal rights over him. She abandoned him and then when she did come back… it wasn't for him. Do you know this is the longest he's ever been in one place?"

Kim sighed. "There are other ways to gain legal guardianship over him. T he most painless being a special guardianship or child arrangement order. You would have legal responsibility, although Melissa would technically still have parental rights. But yours would supersede hers…"

Rachel nodded slowly. "I'll talk to Phillip and Eddie. And then perhaps a lawyer…" she muttered. Kim shot her a supportive look as Rachel shook herself and straightened. "Right… let's get this over with." She continued on her journey to the staffroom, striding in and immediately attracting the attention of everyone in there. Steph immediately moved to hover protectively over Kim, glaring at anyone who tried to come near while Chris was almost hiding in the kitchen area.

"Rachel, what is going on?" Tom demanded. Calls of agreement went up, and she held up a hand to silence them.

"I know you're all curious, but there were some things that had to be settled before you could be told," she began, shifting her weight as every eye in the room watched her intently. "The most important thing is that Max Tyler has been relieved of his post as executive head. He is not to come near to this school, or our kids. Letters will be going out to parents explaining that the role of executive head has, for now, been abolished."

"Which doesn't explain why he was marched out of school by security!" Tom argued.

Rachel sighed. "Max assaulted a student, cracking his ribs. He is also being investigated for sexual misconduct, amongst other things." She very deliberately didn't look at Kim.

"Which student?" Ruby questioned in shock. Rachel hesitated.

"Phillip," she admitted quietly. "Which is, obviously, not to be bandied about." She glared at them sternly. There was a long minute of stunned silence.

"Is he okay?" Steph asked eventually. Rachel nodded slowly.

"He's… getting there. But I think not having to face Max is helping a lot."

"What a bloody idiot," she shook her head slightly, "targeting the headteacher's nephew."

Rachel's jaw tightened. "I think I'd have preferred if he hadn't of targeted anyone," she said tightly, and Steph at the grace to blush.

"Course…"

"What happens now?" Jo asked blankly.

"We carry on," Rachel said firmly. "Any student concerns, you calm them, assure them that they're safe. This isn't going to stay out of the papers, so I'm afraid we'll just have to let it blow over. And parental concerns, Kim or I will deal with. Which also brings me to my next news- unrelated to the Max debacle, Chris has decided to step down as deputy head."

Whispers went around the room, and the man in question ducked his head as faces turned to look at him. "He will instead be dealing with the merger and continuing with the organisation of partnerships with other institutions," Rachel continued, slightly louder to regain their attention.

"So who's going to be the new deputy?" Jo enquired. Now, it was Rachel attempting to keep the blush from her cheeks.

"Our former deputy head has agreed to return."

As expected, Steph began to cackle, and even Tom was suppressing a grin. Rachel rolled her eyes. "Get it out of your systems now," she sighed resignedly. The new teachers looked baffled as those who'd been at the school the previous year continued to laugh and make noise. Even Kim was smirking, which only grew when she saw the embarrassment hiding behind Rachel's look of exasperation. "When you've quite finished…!"

"This place really is going to the dogs…"

"Sorry you disapprove, Grantley," she said coolly. He looked like he was about to say something else, and she braced herself for an argument but just as he was about to speak, the bell rang, and the staff collectively shifted to head to their form groups. Somewhat relieved, she called out a goodbye and escaped to her office. All things considered, that had gone rather well.

Getting through another day just proved to Rachel that she both wanted and needed Eddie by her side. No matter the situation, she longed to hear his opinion or his constant need to back her up and protect her in every encounted scenario. News was already spreading about Max leaving his position and she had dealt with numerous calls from local newspapers wanting her statement on the matter at hand. She had responded by putting the phone down each time, but it had happened so often that she worried she would soon need a new phone in the office.

Just before the end of the day, Kim entered her office with a stack of papers.

"Please tell me they're not for me to deal with." Rachel asked with a smirk on her face, and Kim couldn't help but realise how happy Rachel was now she was back in charge of her school again.

"This is every bit of information you'll need with Phillip and the guardianship situation, I've spent all afternoon on it. The most common thing I've found is that you'll struggle more because you and Eddie aren't married." Kim commented, raising her brows a few times in a way that made Rachel burst out laughing.

"One step at a time Kim, I've just got him back and I don't want to rush anything." At her words, Rachel noticed Kim look to her lap and concentrate extremely hard on her hands. She played with her fingers and flicked at the paint on her nails, not meeting Rachel's gaze in any way. "Are you okay? After the Max thing, you seemed in high spirits. I'm sorry for assuming.." She trailed off, suddenly ashamed of herself for neglecting her friend when she more than likely needed her most. "Why don't we go and get a drink?" She asked, wanting to take the tension away by having their conversation outside of her office and somewhere they could both feel more comfortable.

"I don't think I can do that Rach, not for the next 8 months at least." There, she had said it. The truth was out in the open, and Rachel sank back in her seat at the news. "You're disappointed in me aren't you?" Kim asked, a humour to her tone as she took in Rachel's expression. "Well, you cant be any more disappointed in me than I am in myself." Tears pricked her eyes as the weight of the situation finally dawned on her and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Kim." The woman looked up and noticed that Rachel had suddenly moved much closer and was kneeling in front of her face. She took hold of her hands and offered her a smile as Kim finally met her eyes. "You are the strongest person I know, you're going to be an amazing mum. And you're not alone." She promised, her heart breaking for her friend sat in front of her. After the situation with Grace, Rachel had known how important being a mum was to Kim and how much she wanted the dream of having a family with her perfect man. And now, once again, that had been taken away from her in the cruelest of ways. Rachel couldn't help feel guilty for the role she had to play in it, but she knew both Kim and the baby were much better off without Max in their lives.

"I've really done it this time, haven't I?" Rachel went to reply but her personal phone rang, she wasn't going to answer but saw the name of Eddie's ex wife on the screen and excused herself momentarily.

Only on the phone to Alison for a short while, Rachel was information that Alison needed to stay late for training but Michael needed picking up. Eddie was in a late meeting about handing over his job and had suggested Rachel. She agreed immediately and promised to be with Michael straight away.

"Fancy a trip to the park Kim?" Rachel asked as she re-entered the room, knowing her friend needed her and their conversation was far from finished. Kim looked confused so Rachel continued. "I need to go and fetch Michael, but I'm not done with you yet. Let's take him to the park and we can talk there." Kim agreed, not wanting to be alone and needing the conversation that Rachel provided. It would be easy to talk to one of her girl friends about what was happening, but Rachel had experienced Max Tyler first hand so would be able to relate to a lot of her worries. They picked Phil up from the common room on the way, Rachel knowing that he would be a great distraction for Michael so that the women could talk openly.

While Rachel ran inside to collect Michael, Kim found herself left in the car with Phillip, who was staring out the window. She chewed her lip, wondering whether or not to bring up the guardianship issue.

"You're staring." The boy said suddenly, and she blushed when she realised that he was right.

"Sorry. Lost in thought."

"About me?"

She nodded. "Your aunt told about your question about adoption."

He stiffened slightly. "Oh."

"Not in a bad way Phillip." She turned to look at him properly, eyes kind. "I deal with social services and guardianship issues the most at school. She was asking for help."

He brightened. "Can you?"

"To a point…" she explained what she'd told Rachel earlier that day. The boy looked disappointed but perked up hopeful when he heard about the other options. "It may be that your aunt has to apply for it in just her name- the fact that Eddie's only lived with you for a little while may work against them. Of course, the fact that you're so attached to them both will work in your favour."

At that moment, the car door opened and Rachel helped Michael climb in. He was thrilled to see Phillip in the car, immediately beginning to chatter excitedly to him. Kim had found herself watching the pair interact in the back of the car, something peculiar wrenching inside of her. Rachel glanced at her knowingly as she got in herself, smiling fondly at the boys.

The drive to the park was filled with the Michael's conversation, all three chipping in at different points with him. When they finally arrived, he raced off almost immediately and Rachel was glad to see Phillip seemed to have no objects to running after him, happy to help him climb the ladders and play equipment while she and Kim sat on a nearby bench, the other woman seemingly entranced by the children playing. "I meant what I said, you know," Rachel began after a few minutes. "You will be an amazing mum."

Kim wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not so sure. I'm going to be all alone."

"Not necessarily…" Rachel said carefully. "No one would blame you if you wanted their father involved…"

"No!" Kim cut her off, clutching her stomach protectively. "He's not coming near him!"

"Him?"

She flushed, shrugging slightly. "Just a feeling." Rachel smiled slightly. "But there is no way Max is having anything to do with him," she continued. "He won't even know."

"And nobody can blame you for that." Rachel reassured her, placing a hand on Kim's to show a sign of support. "But it doesn't mean you'll be alone." She added, determined to make the situation seem much less scary for her friend. She admired her friend and the bravery she was showing, but had known Kim for a long time now. If anyone was ready for her own family, it was her.

"Thank you Rachel." Kim smiled her appreciation and watched over at Phillip chasing Michael around the playground. "Maybe you'll be joining me soon?" She asked, nudging her friends shoulder. She wanted to move the heat from her momentarily, and shed some light on the happiness that Rachel had finally found.

"I think I'm going to focus on the ones I've got under my roof at the minute. Phillip is my main priority at the minute, I want him to be happy." She hadn't stopped thinking about Phillip's suggestion, and had decided to try her hardest to make his wishes come true. If he wanted to cut all ties with his mother and legally be part of her family, she would do her best or die trying to make it happen.

Over two weeks later, their lives continued as normal without the presence of Max Tyler. Eddie was finally reinstated and Rachel felt true happiness to have them both on the same team again. They had the perfect balance between work and home life, only talking about school at home when Phillip was involved. They had agreed for Rachel to file for temporary guardianship of Phillip, as they didn't want the fact that they were married to hinder any progression that their case needed to make. Overall, the family were content with how things were going. Phillip had finally plucked up the courage to ask Ros out, with Eddie's help and was currently in the library planning out where to take her with the help of Bolton.

"What about that new Chinese? Off the main road?" Phillip thought out loud, and received a laugh in response from his friend. "Maybe not then.." He sighed, feeling deflated as he took his mind back to the drawing board.

"Just go to the skate park, it's never done me- oh my god." Bolton looked to the side of Phillip at the door opening and completely lost his train of thought, instantly jumping up to try and block Phillip from seeing what he had seen.

"What is it?" Phillip noticed regardless and stood beside Bolton, finally seeing what he had seen. His stomach plummeted at the sight and he felt sick to his stomach. "Mum?"

"Oh, you've remembered my name them."

He gaped at her, while Bolton glanced between them uncertainly. "What are you doing here?" he asked eventually.

She placed the baby carrier she was holding on the floor, crossing her arms. "My sister is stealing my child and you didn't expect me to come?"

He spluttered, not noticing that Bolton had shot out of the room. "Stealing your child? What are you on about?"

"The guardianship! How could you, Phil?" she shot him a hurt look, his mouth dropped open.

"You have got to be shitting me."

Now it was her turn to look surprised. "Wh-?"

"You abandoned me almost a year ago, and never bother to come back for me. Yes, I know you did," he cut off her argument. "But it wasn't really for me, was it? it was for Eddie, because you were stupid enough to get knocked up by some bloke who legged it as soon as he could afterwards. Do you even know who Jacob's father is?"

Melissa's jaw practically hit the floor, while snickers arose from the other students in the library.

"And if you must know, I actually asked Rachel and Eddie if they could adopt me," he told her ruthlessly, ignoring the stunned, grief-stricken look on her face. "Turns out that's not really possible, but they're trying their best nonetheless. Because they know that I want absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Phil… I'm your mum…"

"Yeah? Then why didn't you come when I was in hospital?" he demanded. "Why didn't you answer Rachel's messages?"

"I… sweetheart, I have Jacob as well, it's not as easy as-,"

"You're supposed to have me as well!" he yelled. That stunned her into silence. From his place on the floor, Jacob was crying, soft, pitiful kitten-cries that Melissa payed no attention. Phillip was almost as stunned as she, when he realised that she was actually listening to him. "I'm supposed to be your son, but you never wanted me, did you? Admit it! When I was younger, I was the cute excuse for you to leave work early, or duck out of things you didn't want to go to! And when you couldn't use me for that anymore, you left me! And then you needed a glorified babysitter, so all of a sudden you wanted me back!"

"Phil…"

"Admit it, you never wanted me!" he accused furiously. "I was a mistake, a reminder of a marriage you never really wanted anyway! Admit it!"

"YES! Yes, you were a mistake!" she screamed back. "One I wish hadn't happened!" And a painful hush fell over the room.

He'd known it for a while. He'd suspected for even longer than that. But to have her admit it, to confess… it felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart. He knew his face must have shown exactly that, because a look of horror grew over her own. "Phil…"

"Phillip, go to Miss Campbell's office," a soft voice from behind him commanded. He didn't know how long his aunt had been standing in the doorway (he hadn't realised that Bolton was even gone, let alone that the boy had sprinted along three corridors and up a flight of stairs to fetch the headmistress as soon as he'd realised things were going to go very, very badly,) but he was suddenly grateful to have her there. He instinctively stepped backwards, towards her, never removing his gaze from the suddenly devastated visage of his mother. He felt her hand on his back, her other pushing his bag onto his arm. "Go," she murmured, and he did so.

Rachel looked on in disbelief at the woman she once looked up to and longed to be like. The woman she aspired to take after when her life wasn't going the way she planned it. Melissa always seemed to have it all, the looks, the love. She got the education and the baby before Rachel could even blink, and it was hard to remember a time that Rachel hadn't felt jealousy. However, as she looked at her now, she realised she was wrong to think those things. Melissa was bitter, and twisted. She was everything Rachel hoped she never turned into, and everything she hated in a parent as a headteacher. Selfish, vindictive and completely disrespectful in more ways than one, Rachel felt complete disappointment at the family ties she had to the woman.

"I need you to get off school grounds before I send for security Melissa." Rachel's tone held no room for argument, but Melissa still tried her hardest.

"So taking my boyfriend wasn't enough? You needed my son too? How does it feel knowing that you've taken my family away from me?" Trying to hit her where it hurts, Melissa used past knowledge of Rachel's weaknesses to tug on her heart strings. Her previous return had proved that Rachel would always put her family first, so Melissa was determined to use that to her advantage. However, she had no clue with how Rachel had coped the previous months and what had changed within her. Rachel knew who her family was, and it wasn't the woman stood in front of her.

"He wasn't your boyfriend Melissa, get over yourself. I support Phillip and his decisions." Rachel didn't want to argue, didn't want to give her the time of day when she had such little respect left for her sister. She had a school to run, and knew Melissa would get nastier as the conversation continued.

"He's my son! No matter how much you try, you can't take him away from me." Anger pumped through her veins as Rachel refused to give her what she wanted and fight her back.

"I'm not even trying Melissa, he wants a family. Me and Eddie give him that. You have caused him so much pain, you think you'd try and rectify some of your mistakes by granting his wishes." She looked out of the door and noticed Emily walk past. "Em, can you get security up to the library please?" She asked calmly, and the girl furrowed her brows in confusion before agreeing and running towards the main reception. Rachel wasn't listening to this, she would settle it inside of course and not in front of her school.

"And let you win? Let you take Eddie from me without a fight? He was mine!" She fumed, her face red as she clutched her hands together.

"So this isn't about Phillip at all? Just about you feeling lonely?"

"Of course not!"

Rachel stared at her, really looked, and wondered how her sister had gotten to this point without her noticing. At their feet, the soft cries of the baby were growing louder and louder, but Melissa didn't seem to notice. In the back of her mind, Rachel recalled seeing a news article about how the birth of a baby could cause some women to act oddly, to the point of psychosis and absently wondered if that was what was wrong with her sister.

Though it didn't entirely explain her behaviour prior to Jacob, she admitted.

"Do you love Phillip?" she questioned abruptly.

"What?" Melissa looked thrown of kilter, puzzled at the unexpected question.

"Do you love him?" she insisted. Seeing her mouth open automatically, she cut her off. "Not a rote response, Melissa, I mean really. Do you love Phillip?"

Melissa swallowed. "Of course I do," she whispered, looking unsteady.

"Then Mel, for once in your life, put someone else first. Put your son first. And maybe you won't push him away completely."

As she watched her, the blonde's face twisted, a bitter smile creeping onto her lips. "How'd you do it, Rach? How do you always end up coming up trumps?"

Unable to help herself, Rachel let out a startled, grieving laugh. "Funny. I always thought that about you."

They looked at each other, neither willing to give ground. "He's my son," Melissa said finally.

"He's a person," was Rachel's simple reply. She saw the bafflement flash across her eyes. "He has his own thoughts and feelings. Melissa, you've spent his entire life forcing him to conform to your whims and desires, dragging him away from every place he's begun to feel secure in. He was on the verge of stalking a girl last year, for Christ's sakes! He didn't have any clue how to deal with his own feelings, because you've always taught him that they're not important so he pushed them away! Mel, can't you see what you've done to him?"

The sound of footsteps behind her told her that security was there, and it was time for Melissa to go. "Melissa, I meant what I said before. You need to grow up, and part of that is admitting you're in over your head. You wanted help, what do you think Eddie and I are offering?" she cocked her head at her, silently pleading for the woman to hear what she was saying. "That boy… he has grown so much in the past year. Being here… this is good for him. I wish you could see that." She stepped backwards to allow security nearer, walking away but pausing to deliver one final plea. "He's spent years looking after you, when he shouldn't have had to. For once in your life, look after him instead."

And she walked away, nodding to the security guards and ignoring Melissa's shouts of her name behind her.

As she headed back towards her office, she met with Eddie who was bounding up the stairs towards her. She quickly fell into his arms and hugged him close to her, breathing in his scent to calm her down. Her heart was racing, palms sweaty after having to face her sister after all the time had passed. She heard a commotion behind her and realised Melissa would be heading this way soon, so kept an arm around Eddie's waist and moved them both towards her office.

"Steph came to find me, was Melissa here?" Rachel nodded her head as an answer before burying her back in his neck and swaying with his body, wanting to be close to him and feel the safety that his arms provided her with. "Rach, are you okay?" He asked tentatively, completely confused with why Melissa would turn up and seek her sister out.

"I am now. Just... hold me Eddie." He granted her wishes without a second thought and held her closer than before, kissing her head multiple times to calm her down. "I'm so glad you're here." She admitted truthfully, knowing she wouldn't be able to deal with the situation without him as her rock.

"No matter what happens Rach, I'll always be here." He promised, grateful that she felt able to lean on him and at long last share her burdens. Rachel listened to the weight of his words and realised how much truth was behind them. He always was going to be there, he always had been. Despite her many attempts to push him away, no matter how justified at the time, he always found his way back home to her side.

"Marry me?" She asked, completely shocking herself with her own words. But clearly shocking Eddie more as he teased beneath her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He questioned, amused with her quick question that she had thrown his way. He had no idea what had happened to the Rachel Mason he once knew, but he could not be more in love with the woman stood in front of him. She finally trusted him completely and was making that known to him. She couldn't even bring herself to worry about it being too soon, as it had been years since they met and Eddie had loved her every day since then. She had no doubt he would never break her heart, he would guard it with his life and she wasn't going to let that go again.

"When has anything about our relationship been entirely conventional?" she shrugged a shoulder. He stared down at her, lips pulled into an amused half-grin.

"True," he agreed, releasing her and stepping away to tug her over to the sofa. She looked at him curiously, but let him guide her until she was sat down. "Maybe we can do something at least semi-traditionally though?"

She barely had time to puzzle through his words, when he dropped to one knee in front of her and presented a box. Her jaw dropped. "How long have you had that?" was the only coherent thing she could think of.

He chuckled. "Bought it last weekend. Michael helped me pick it."

She laughed, joy spreading through her, pulling him closer with a hand around his neck to kiss him. "Well," she murmured against his lips, "if you want to be traditional, you'd better actually ask me."

"Will you marry me, Rachel?" he breathed instantly. She pressed her lips to his, over and over until they were breathless and flushed, pressed together as closely as physically possible given their positions. When the need for oxygen became too great, they leant their foreheads together, unwilling to part. "Was that a yes?" Eddie grinned cheekily once he could breathe evenly. She giggled, nuzzling into him.

"Of course it was."

He reached for her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger. "In the school office. Still not entirely conventional," he noted.

"Actually… I think it's pretty apt," she commented, smiling. "Where else would suit us so well?"

"Bowling alley?" he suggested, and she jabbed him in the ribs. He mock groaned, holding the area dramatically. She rolled her eyes, leaning backwards as he levered himself off of the floor to sit next to her. "Not to break the mood," he began hesitantly, "but what had you so upset?"

She shot upright. "Crap! Phillip!"

"What?"

He looked baffled as she hauled him to his feet, shooting across the office. "I sent him to Kim's office when Mel kicked off- he'll think we've killed each other!"

As easy as breathing, he fell into step beside her as she strode across the school. Not for the first time, he marvelled at her strength when despite everything, she smiled and greeted the students they passed, not letting on for a moment her true feelings. They reached the office, and she didn't bother to knock before she slipped inside.

To her surprise, she found Phillip snickering alongside a laughing Kim, both looking up when she walked in. "Rachel!" Kim exclaimed. "There you are!"

"We were beginning to think you and mum had killed each other!" Phillip added. Rachel paused, pressing her lips together to suppress a laugh. She made the mistake of glancing at Eddie- when she saw the amusement in his eyes, she broke and the pair of them giggled like children, much to the confusion of the pair sitting across the room.

She waved them off, coming to sit next to Phil. "Are you alright, love?"

Phillip looked between the couple with confusion, wondering how they had got to this state when he had left his Aunt in a very tense situation. But he had come to realise that Eddie could bring out the best side of Rachel no matter what had happened, so it wasn't out of the ordinary.

"She really wasn't happy Rach." Phillip admitted, and Rachel sat down beside him and brought him close to her.

"Phil, she wasn't happy with herself and her own actions. She can't blame that on you, me, Eddie or anyone else. She shouldn't of come here and I'm sorry she did." Rachel wanted Phillip to feel safe with her and she felt terrible that he didn't even feel safe in his own school. First with Max and now with his own mum, the poor lad didn't seem to be able to catch a break. But she would spend the rest of her days proving that she was the safety net he had needed for so long, and had never received from his home before.

"It's not your fault. She's gone now, and I'm sure that won't look good on her record when the guardianship goes through." Rachel was relieved to hear that Phillip hadn't changed his mind, fearing that Melissa showing up had forced him to just want a quiet life with as less trouble as possible.

"Yeah well, that's not the only change to the record." Rachel replied, sharing a smile with Eddie before holding out her hand for Phillip and Kim to see. "I think our case just got stronger."

Kim pulled Rachel into a hug and congratulated the couple, but Phillip didn't seem to have any reaction. She figured after all the talk about adoption that he would be happy, but his silence scared her and she immediately felt awful for mentioning it somewhere other than the private of their own home. Eddie saw Rachel's reaction to Phillip and took his own seat beside the lad, and Kim used it as her queue to leave the room.

"Phil, mate, what's wrong? We thought you'd be happy." Eddie questioned, wanting to find out the root of Phillip's problem and also not make Rachel ask all the difficult questions.

"If you get married, you'll have your own family and then where do I go?" Phillip asked quietly, and one look at him broke Rachel's heart. He has retreated back to being a child, scared of being left out. And not for the first time, Rachel cursed her sister for what she had put her son through. It was clear that each time Melissa met someone knew, Phillip was cast aside and left to fend for himself.

"Phillip, you don't go anywhere." Rachel promised softly, taking hold of Phillip's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "No matter what has happened before, it's different now. You and Michael will always be our main priorities, that's what should happen in families. Getting married just means we have more of a chance to get Eddie on all the paperwork, which will make it official in writing. It's already official in our lives, we're already a family." Rachel confirmed, hoping Phillip felt the same and didn't need a piece of paper to solidify that.

"Getting married isn't going to change anything," Eddie agreed. "It's just a piece of paper announcing what us lot already know."

He tightened his fingers around hers, both watching the boy anxiously. Rachel's heart was in her throat- what would they do if Phillip was truly against this? They couldn't live their lives to the whims of a sixteen-year-old- if nothing else, it set a dangerous precedent for the future. But equally, his concerns weren't without basis, thanks to Melissa's actions in his life. Her stomach churned. She wanted to marry Eddie, but she didn't want to hurt Phillip.

"Phil, listen to me." she shifted to face him more fully, touching his chin to get him to look at her. "Melissa… I don't think she's an inherently bad person. But she hasn't been a good mother. She's…" she grappled with her wording, casting a helpless glance at Eddie.

"Selfish," he suggested.

She nodded her agreement. "Selfish. Her world revolved around herself. That's not what most families are like, Phil. Most families- they take care of another. If, God forbid, something changed tomorrow and Eddie and I weren't together anymore, nothing would change with you. We would both still love you, and want to be there for you. And equally, no matter what happens between us and anything that changed in the future, we are always going to be your family." She cupped his cheek gently, willing him to understand and accept what she was saying.

"That's what family means," Eddie agreed softly. "It isn't going to change anytime soon. So you're not going anywhere."

The boy's smile was a brilliant thing, Rachel reflected, relief rushing through her. "Let's see the ring then," he grinned. "Have to make sure you did alright after all, Eddie."

"Bloody cheek!"

Rachel laughed, allowing her nephew to turn her hand over and look. "It's nice."

"Would you know if it wasn't?"

"No," he admitted. "But you look happy with it."

"I think I'm happier with the two of you," she commented without thinking. That prompted a beaming look from Phillip, and a brief but fierce kiss from Eddie.

The bell rang, prompting her to look up in surprise at the time. Phillip immediately scrambled to his feet. "Gotta go!"

"If you're not up to it, mate," Eddie began but he shook his head.

"I'm fine! I'll see you later!"

And he was gone. Eddie looked bewildered. "Ros is in his next class," Rachel explained in amusement. Understanding flashed across his face.

"Rach… are you alright?" he questioned seriously.

She sighed. "I don't know. Mel and I… we've always had a complicated relationship. But she's my little sister. I love her, but… I'm not sure I like her very much." She looked guilty at this admission. "And what she's done to Phillip? I'll never forgive her for that."

"You're allowed to love your sister, Rachel," he told her softly, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Even after everything she's done?"

He nodded, ignoring the bitter twist in his stomach. "Even then."

"I love you Eddie Lawson." She commented truthfully, leaning up to kiss him softly as they knew they needed to go their separate ways for the next part of the day.

"I love you too, Rachel Lawson." The name had a ring to it, and Rachel couldn't wait for it to belong to her. She said her goodbyes and walked back to her office, a constant spring in her step and smile on her face after finally finding her happy ending.


End file.
